Redesigning Greektown: Inside Detroit's New People-First Streetscape For An Old Favorite

Greektown has been a staple of downtown Detroit for generations. I have so many great memories as a kid, and it's one of the most "city-feeling" areas of Detroit, and has a litany of great restaurants, bars, and more.

Now, a major transformation has made Monroe Street more flexible, pedestrian-friendly, and vibrant for the future.

Norris Howard and I sat down with Lori Singleton, landscape architect and design director at SmithGroup, to break down the vision behind the new Greektown streetscape.

We dive into:

• The Shift to Pedestrian-First Design and why sacrificing some on-street parking allowed for expanded outdoor dining, curbless walkways, and flexible plaza spaces.
• How clever systems and underground engineering keep street trees healthy without destroying sidewalks or drowning roots.
• And how incremental public space improvements — from the Dequindre Cut, to Beacon Park, to Capitol Park, to Grand Circus Park — are reshaping how people experience downtown Detroit.

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