Drawing on the creativities of Ann Arbor’s avant gardes and traditional communities to make an ever-changing attraction for our residents, our neighbors and visitors from around the world.
A place where Presidential candidates would want to speak,
Where Shakespeare could be performed,
Where Greek theater is played with our choruses,
And wandering minstrels find welcome!
What happens at the Central Park?
Some Ann Arbor residents offered these ideas:
- Chess tables and players
- Table tennis
- Safe place for children to play and parents to meet
- Frozen yogurt cart
- Food carts
- Used book stalls
- Woodcarvers’ festival
- Weavers and fabric makers’ festival
- Instrument makers’ festival
- Weddings and Celebrations
- Ceremonies honoring community volunteers and other worthies
- Sculptures from our sister cities, and other public art to view
- Art studio for creating community sculptures, and other art
- Community meeting space for non-profits
- An amphitheater stage for theater and concerts
- “Top of the Parking” festivals of films and musicians
- After-the-4th-of-July parade picnic place.
- Read a library book outdoors
- Eat brown bag lunch and “take out” from adjacent restaurants
- See water flowing or get a drink of water
- Do gardening and help the flowers grow
- Get information what’s happening with downtown business on multi-media kiosk
- Yoga and tai chi in the open air
- Community festivals of food, music and arts: inviting each of the world communities of Ann Arbor to do a festival (German, Greek, African American, French, Irish, Hispanic/Latino, Jewish, Arabic, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Native American….)
- Individual musicians making music
- Free speech soap box orations
- Winter skating
- Watching jugglers and clowns
- Pausing to “shift gears” after leaving or before returning to your parked car
- Meeting a friend
- See renewable energy systems demonstrations.
- Attend a workshop in conflict resolution and mediation
- Meditate at a “Peace Pole”
What ideas would you add for Ann Arbor’s Central Park? Send us an email, or leave a comment below to share your hopes!
Possibilities: See native plantings – plant the garden with native or heritage plantings; I like the idea of minimizing the grass planted. Grass is very non-green, ironically. However, I see the value of having specific areas where people can sit on the lawn in the summer. Also I love the idea of community festivals for each of the world communities in Ann Arbor, too — this is really one of the things that makes Ann Arbor unique and a good place to live, at least it motivated me.
yes yes yes! a downtown/midtown green park with year-round activities is what I’ve been picturing for that space. and imagine how the library could take advantage of it for reading group gatherings.
please ann arbor’s decision-makers, make this happen!
Open, public space in the heart of downtown will draw people to the area, and concrete in the same space will allow them to drive away. I love the idea of having impromptu or scheduled events, space to relax, or a destination place to meet friends. Let’s do it!
Yes, I agree the immediate downtown needs MORE green space. Look at Plymouth…Dexter…Ypsi…and even Detroit!!! It must make sense for New York to do the same:
New York’s “flagship” park is 843 acres, 26,000 trees, and almost 9,000 benches (or 6% of Manhattan – http://www.nyc.com). What is A2′s percentage??????
We have a chance to do something great here…a way to retain people downtown for leisure AND shopping. Take Fool Moon, Festifools, etc for example. You get hundreds of people downtown and if you are not hungey or want a drink… then what? They all go HOME!
How many parking spaces do we REALLY need in downtown a2?!?!
if low-income housing on this spot isn’t possible(which would be my first choice), then a park where we could have a tiny bit of nature is a wonderful option. I have read through the suggestions listed above and like them all.
To Mayor Hieftje and the city council: please. for once think with your heart and your senses instead of in terms of dollars and cents.