2024 saw a grand reopening in Detroit, ground breaking on major eds & meds projects, and a lot of discussion around our freeways. One notable development story in Detroit didn't make the list of our most-read stories of the year - the future of the RenCen. Maybe we're just ready to see what's really going to happen.

Here are the most-read stories on Urbanize Detroit this year.

New "Hollywood" Detroit sign coming to I-94

This past April, Detroit hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors for the NFL Draft. To get ready for this, the city invested in some signage along our freeways. Seemingly everyone was captivated by the new "Hollywood" style sign along I-94. When it finally went up, people slowed down in traffic, causing back-ups. While many were critical beforehand, it's added a nice little feature to our city. 

Potential cap over I-75 takes a step forward

Our freeways downtown could look a lot different in the next five years. One of those projects will attempt to connect Midtown and Brush Park to downtown. The city is planning on putting a cap over I-75; the latest models show three smaller caps instead of one larger one. The project is moving toward the feasibility study phase. 

The historic restoration of Michigan Central Station

It was an opening decades in the making. After decades of neglect, Ford purchased the vacant Michigan Central Station in 2018, starting a six-year journey to its grand reopening. The station kicked off its comeback with a huge free concert in front of the station, followed by weekend tours for visitors. The restoration is truly spectacular, with historic details brought back by expert craftspeople. Vendors have started opening on the main level, and businesses have moved in to some of the floors above. We could hear soon about a hotel on the top floors. Plans are in place for a park on the south side of the station. Do yourself a favor and look at the before and after sliders when you get a chance to truly see how much work went into this. It's a crowning jewel of the city. An interesting side note: our top story from last year, the transformation of the neighboring Book Depository (now Newlab), also made our top stories this year.

New high-rise opens at the old Joe Louis Arena site

A lot of activity has been happening along our riverfront next to Huntington Place this year. The Residences at Water Square, a new 25-story residential tower, opened over the winter. Next to it, a new 600-room hotel is taking shape, which will create a connection to the convention center. We can expect public spaces around the new buildings, along with an expansion of Second Avenue. Sterling Group has led both projects. 

New $2.2B Henry Ford Health hospital tower breaks ground in Detroit

Outside of downtown, four miles north in New Center, a major development is underway. Ground broke this year on a new state-of-the-art hospital tower from Henry Ford Health. Across the Lodge, the development continues with a new medical research center from Michigan State University under construction. Soon, more residential will break ground in the area. 

A few honorable mentions: