The Milwaukee Lakefront Gateway Project is an urban redesign plan of the downtown lakefront area. The purpose of this project is to create more connections for pedestrians between downtown and lakefront attractions in order to increase living, working and visitor populations downtown.
The city believes that rejuvenating the area will attract interest for private sector development projects, which will consequently boost revenue within the local economy.
According to the City of Milwaukee website, it has been decided that the design of the space “needs to include the blending of the built environment with the natural environment.” This means incorporating innovative and eco-conscious design specifically when it comes to showcasing the relationship Milwaukee has to water – which is described as “crucial to the city’s future.”
The design team hired by the city of Milwaukee has come up with four potential design plans. From these designs (which can be found on the city’s website), the city will pick and choose which elements to incorporate into the final design. It is unclear how final design plans will be chosen.
The plan thus far will cost a total of 18 million dollars, and is described as a collaboration between the city of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and the state of Wisconsin.
For progress reports on the project, follow @MKE_Lakefront on Twitter.