Brodie MacPhail and Maria MedirattaArt student Brodie MacPhail and recent grad Maria Mediratta look over drawings for the Freedom Way Link during an open house to introduce the concept, Tuesday outside the School of Creative Arts.

Open house shares vision for Freedom Way corridor

UWindsor students, faculty, staff and members of the surrounding community turned out Tuesday to review concepts for a pedestrian corridor and green space on Freedom Way between the Armouries and the Alan Wildeman Centre for Creative Arts.

“It’s a massive opportunity for downtown Windsor to reflect its new identity,” said architect Craig Goodman, whose firm produced a series of drawings re-imagining the Freedom Way Link as a park and civic space. “We are anticipating this integration will create a new dynamic between the campus and other residents of the city.”

Plans are constrained by the presence under the street of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, which precludes excavation of any depth.

Instead, Goodman said, raised planters would bring greenery into the space and a variety of surface treatments would demarcate design elements and uses — seating, staging, and even film screenings.

Fourth-year visual arts student Brodie MacPhail was impressed and looked forward to speaking with the architects about his own suggestion for shade on the site.

“Maybe some kind of cool creative screen,” he said. “I think a lot of students would enjoy this space if it is done right.”

The development must be considered by the city planning committee and win approval from city council — as well as the University’s Board of Governors — before any work can begin.