Connecting Community Through Greenways and Public Space

• The Joe Louis Greenway, Huron-Clinton Metroparks, and Belle Isle serve as interconnected hubs for recreation and community, collectively hosting over 15 million visits each year.  
• Greenways and public spaces unite diverse communities, fostering unity and cultural understanding within the Detroit Region.  
• Investment in public spaces drives broader economic benefits, including housing, small business growth, and infrastructure improvements, while attracting and retaining talent. 

Greenways and public spaces have become invaluable to many and offer one of the few safe and accessible spaces beyond the home. At the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference, Elliott, McMillan, and Medley joined Sullivan in a moderated conversation on the significance of these spaces in the Detroit Region, the need for continued investment, and their unassumed role in talent attraction and retention. 

The panel featured representatives from three iconic public spaces in the Detroit Region: the Joe Louis Greenway, Huron-Clinton Metroparks, and Belle Isle. These parks are, or will be, connected physically through shared trails and programming, and organizationally, collectively hosting over 15 million visits each year. 

McMillan aims to expand this number by enhancing connectivity between parks via a greenway system, ultimately ensuring every Southeast Michigan resident has access to a Metropark within a 20-minute drive. 

“If we want people to stay in the state of Michigan, help in the state of Michigan, [and] move to the state of Michigan, we have to have quality public spaces,” McMillan said. 

According to Elliott, Belle Isle, with 982 acres, welcomes 5.5 million annually, making it the most frequented state park, second only to Niagara Falls. This popularity is expected to continue growing with the development of the Belle Isle Common project.  

Elliott described this new project as the creation of a “world-class asset,” designed to encourage visitors to explore and linger among the park amenities, ranging from the aquarium to the beach and the Great Lakes Dossin Museum. 

Greenways and public spaces contribute significantly to the environment by managing stormwater, restoring habitats, and improving air quality. They also serve as inclusive gathering spaces, welcoming people from diverse backgrounds. For instance, the Joe Louis Greenway connects communities like Dearborn, Southwest Detroit, and Detroit. 

“That connects you to cultural differences,” Medley said. “You have a large Middle Eastern population, a large Latinx and Hispanic population, [and] a large Black population.” 

Sullivan echoed this, highlighting the vibrant diversity often encountered in parks and trails across the Region, by saying, “There really aren’t many places, if at all, other than these public spaces that do truly bring together the entire fabric of our communities in a way that’s welcoming, inclusive, and that lifts everyone up together as a community.” 

Greenways and public spaces are often overlooked when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, yet their importance cannot be overstated. Elliott explains that these spaces serve as the “third place,” a concept referring to spaces beyond home (the first place) and work (the second place) where people gather to find community. 

“To me, that’s everything,” Elliott said. “We are stewarding these places so that they can be that meaningful third place, and they can be the place that you close your eyes and think about. It’s like your home.” 

Medley chimed in, adding that public spaces often act as catalysts for amenities that “walkable, beautiful, well-lived communities need” and overall economic development. She pointed to national trends showing how investments in public spaces drive ripple effects across communities. 

“When you invest in the Belle Isle, when you invest in a riverfront … whether it’s in San Antonio [or] Atlanta, those investments have spurred other things: housing investment … small business … entrepreneurship, investment in infrastructure, and education,” she said. “So, when we talk about why choose to invest in public space, it’s not just because we want beautiful public space, but we want one investment that can catalyze so many others.” 

This 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference session was hosted by The Kresge Foundation.