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Architectural Firm Chosen To Design Detroit Riverfront Park

Detroit skyline
haljackey
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A New York-based architectural firm has been selected to transform a park along the Detroit River.

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates was announced Tuesday by the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy as the winner of an international competition to design the 22-acre (9-hectare) West Riverfront Park near downtown.

The firm was selected from four finalists.

The conservancy says New York's Brooklyn Bridge Park and Chicago's Maggie Daley Park are among Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates' most notable projects.

Conservancy board chair Matt Cullen says "the creation of West Riverfront Park would be one of the most significant public space projects undertaken in" Detroit's history.

Cullen says a revamped park potentially can drive economic growth for the city's southwest side.

The project's estimated cost is $50 million.

The conservancy opened West Riverfront Park in 2014.

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