Renaissance Center was designed as a multi-phase development to revitalize downtown Detroit after a period in which many businesses had abandoned the inner city. Located on a 35-acre site between the Detroit River and a 13-lane freeway, the design links commercial, retail, residential and cultural components via a river walk. The master plan of this project oriented activity toward the Detroit River, buffering the noise of the freeway with a large landscaped berm that housed the mechanical and electrical systems for the complex. Pedestrian bridges over the freeway connect the activity of Renaissance Center with the activity of the rest of the city.