An optional morning field session the day after the summit will demonstrate ideas in action.
If your schedule allows, plan to stay and join us for this optional third morning on Saturday, June 6 to keep the conversations going and spend some less-structured time together. There are 3 ways to participate:
- The official bike tour requires paid registration ($40) to cover bike rental costs. Only 40 total slots are available with two different start times. See details below.
- Using their own transportation — such as MoGo (Detroit's city bike program), e-scooters, feet, or Uber/Lyft — others are welcome to join the tour or meet at any of the stops. This option is free and does not require advance registration.
- If you have extra time but cannot join the official tour, summit attendees are encouraged to informally visit some of the sites listed below and in the summit program.
Tickets for official bike tour
PLEASE NOTE: The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's Detroit Riverfront Run takes place on June 6. The races start at 8:40am and 9am, beginning and ending at Cullen Plaza (1340 E. Atwater Street). If you plan to visit sites on your own, be mindful of timing as the 5k route and 10k route pass through some of the tour stops.
Access Detroit: A Riverfront Bike Ride
When: Saturday, June 6
Group 1: 9am-11:30am (20 slots)
Group 2: 9:30am-12:00pm (20 slots)
Where: The tour starts at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park near the Southwest Greenway entrance (42.322178854539445, -83.06355158843917), where registrants will pick up their rental bikes. The tour ends at Wheelhouse, 1340 Atwater St, where registrants will drop off their rental bikes.
Tour guides: Keenan Gibbons, SmithGroup; Nate Trevethan, MVVA; Kofi Boone, North Caroline State University
Once a barrier between neighborhoods and the water, the Detroit Riverfront is now a nationally recognized public space—made accessible through a growing network of greenways and complete streets that prioritize people over cars. Participants will explore how these corridors are not only improving mobility, but also redefining the city’s visual identity, environmental health, and economic potential. This tour demonstrates how equitable greenway and riverfront planning can reshape access and mobility, reconnect communities, address historic disinvestment, and create inclusive public spaces.
The tour will visit the following sites:
1) Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park (9:00 Group 1 / 9:30 Group 2)
One of the most significant projects on the horizon for the Conservancy and a major step forward in completing its goal of developing 5.5 miles of revitalized riverfront. It will dramatically change the landscape along the downtown riverfront, and it is expected to significantly boost economic benefit in the area as well.
2) Southwest Greenway / Joe Louis Greenway (9:45 Group 1 / 10:15 Group 2)
The Southwest Greenway opened in 2023, extends the Riverwalk from the Ralph C. Willson, Jr. Centennial park to Corktown, Mexicantown and the communities of Southwest Detroit.
3) Roosevelt Park / Michigan Central (10:05 Group 1 / 10:35 Group 2)
Roosevelt Park is the front lawn of Michigan Central Station and serving as a bridge between the vibrant Corktown and Mexicantown neighborhoods. The ARPA funded improvement project at the park commenced in June 2023.
4) Bagley / Mexican Town Complete Streets (10:30 Group 1 / 11:00 Group 2)
The redesign of Bagley from 24th Street to the I-75 Service Drive has created a versatile "shared street." This curb-less street now accommodates both traffic and business needs while also serving as a lively plaza for special events.
5) Riverside Park (10:50 Group 1 / 11:20 Group 2)
A 29-acre park on Detroit's southwest riverfront, at the foot of West Grand Boulevard and west of the Ambassador Bridge.
6) Hart Plaza (11:15 Group 1 / 11:45 Group 2)
Hart Plaza is a 14-acre plaza and long-time city destination. At the center of the plaza is the famed Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978.
7) Ze Mound / William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor (11:30 Group 1 / 12:00 Group 2)
In 2004, William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor became the first urban state park in Michigan and the 97th park in the system. The park provides a “gateway” experience to the rest of Michigan’s famous state parks for the Detroit region’s residents incorporating a natural wetland stormwater treatment feature provide native habitat for 62 confirmed species of migratory and resident birds.
8) Detroit Riverwalk / Cullen Plaza (11:45 Group 1 / 12:15 Group 2)
The Detroit Riverwalk one of the premier public spaces of Detroit provides a beautiful, exciting, safe and accessible world-class gathering place for all. Extending over 4 miles from Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park that is currently under construction to the Belle Isle Bridge at Gabrial Richard Park, the Riverwalk provides unprecedented access to the Detroit River that has been blocked for decades with industrial and brownfield sites.
9) Wheelhouse (12:00 Group 1 / 12:30 Group 2)
Return bikes to Wheelhouse at 1340 Atwater St, Detroit, MI 48207.
