The city of Detroit has finally come up with another way to honor Joe Louis, the late iconic boxer who brought the nation together during World War II when he defeated German Max Schmeling in a fight that transcended sports.

And it's big.

When the Joe Louis Arena is torn down, Detroiters could see Louis' name spread across the entire city — literally.

Mayor Mike Duggan has proposed the creation of the Joe Louis Greenway, a pedestrian and bike pathway that will, as Louis did, bring people together by connecting neighborhoods throughout the city to the Detroit RiverWalk, according to documents obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

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If approved by the Detroit City Council, the 26-mile loop of bike and pedestrian paths will not only provide safe passage from neighborhood to neighborhood, but also to Detroit from neighboring Hamtramck, Highland Park, Ferndale and Dearborn — all without cars.

The $235-million greenway is proposed to be paid for with a mix of public and private funds and is long enough to host the Detroit Free Press Marathon if anyone wanted it to. It will be part of what city officials call "a nearly 240-mile network of pathways that ... provide seamless access to transit, making the city more economically competitive and expanding opportunity for residents."

It also will make it easier for people throughout the city to gain access to one of Detroit's most popular showpieces — the Detroit RiverWalk, which once didn't even exist but now anchors development along the waterfront.

"I am delighted that the (greenway) will be named after my father Joe Louis," said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. son of the famous boxer. "It is a fitting tribute to a person who had a positive impact on so many people."

Louis's son-in-law, George Joseph, said Monday, "This is outstanding!

He added that Louis' daughter Candice "said it better than I. I'm such a fan, but she's a daughter. 'Street signs last longer than buildings. The Joe lasted 37 or 38 years, and it's going away.' The mayor told us Woodward Avenue has been there since 1805. She loves the idea. This greenway will last longer than you or me or our kids."

The Josephs, who met with the city officials last week, as well as Joe Jr. have been consulted every step of the way in the mission to honor the boxer. George Joseph said he thinks the city has found the perfect way to do it.

"Candice loves the idea that her dad's name is going to be memorialized on this parkway," he said. "This is such an honor. We're really fired up about it."

The proposed greenway project comes eight months after I asked in a column what would happen to Louis' name when the Detroit Red Wings moved to Little Caesar's Arena and the Joe would be torn down.

Readers from across the country sent in suggestions ranging from renaming parks and golf courses to creating new memorials on the Detroit River. I didn't think those were big enough and initially suggested renaming Cobo Hall — the convention center that houses the North American International Auto Show among other big-name events — for Louis.

Why? Because, I wrote then: "He was one of the greatest and most beloved athletes in his field. He still holds the record as longest-reigning champion in his sport. His name is synonymous with the best of Detroit because he brought glory and honor to a city that craved it."

But officials at Cobo — which is named for a mayor whose treatment of black residents took on more meaning in the past year because of a rise in hate crimes, white supremacy and the tearing down of Confederate statues — are actively seeking to sell the naming rights to the convention center to raise funds they need to replace a state supplement that is winding down.

The Joe Louis Greenway proposal also comes four months after the city agreed to buy 76 acres of railroad property from Conrail — land that will become a part of the greenway.

That section, all 7.5 miles of it, connects the Detroit Riverwalk and Dequindre Cut.

The greenway is a fitting way to honor a man who won the Detroit Golden Gloves light-heavyweight title in 1934, and then won 50 of his 54 matches as an amateur; a man who faced Schmeling and Nazi hatred in 1938 and knocked both out in the first round.

The arena that bears Louis' name was built two years before he died of cardiac arrest in 1981. For nearly four decades the city — and a hockey team — used that space to excel in sport and honor Louis, the grandson of slaves, an Alabama native who brought America glory, and who changed boxing and who epitomized greatness.

Now the city is taking another step to ensure that it continues to honor Louis, who deserves the accolades.

Forever.

Contact Rochelle Riley: rriley99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @rochelleriley. Listen to her radio show 6-7 p.m. weekdays on Detroit 910AM Radio Superstation and at www.910amsuperstation.com/category/rochelleriley/. Order her book "The Burden: African Americans and the Enduring Impact of Slavery" (Wayne State University Press, 2018) from Wayne State University.