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Return of the Rust Belt Dreamers
Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds. – Oscar Wilde If asked to choose one word to define the passion behind my undying and, at times, manic affection for large Midwestern...
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A Great Source for Cities and Placemaking News
If you haven’t checked out placemaking.mml.org then you’re missing out on some cutting edge thinking around building and sustaining great city spaces. The page contains some of the latest cutting edge...
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Resilient Communities Are Tough, Pliant, and Durable
Mayor George Heartwell, Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss and Asst. CM Haris Alibasic of Grand Rapids Floods. Wildfires. Droughts. Hurricanes and tornadoes. Fuel shortages. Energy blackouts. Extreme heat...
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New $500,000 Grant Program Kicks-Off for Placemaking Projects in Michigan
Attention Placemakers and Crowdfunders in Michigan! A new Public Spaces, Community Places grant program, funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), is now available at...
View ArticleA Peek at the Upcoming Book, The Economics of Place: The Art of Building...
Here is an excerpt from the upcoming book, The Economics of Place: The Art of Building Great Communities, to be released in September. The book examines important civic actions happening on the ground...
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Economics of Place: The Art of Building Great Communities
This book goes beyond placemaking as a concept, to offer real-world examples of economic drivers and agents of social and cultural change in Michigan’s own backyard. They represent some of the many...
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Something Great for Local Officials, Urbanists and City Lovers to Read Today
Sarah Craft, one of my talented colleagues (I am fortunate to have many), recently authored a best practices guide for effective Citizen Engagement. Sarah came to the League from the acclaimed Detroit...
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Heritage Hill in Grand Rapids, A Great Urban Place
A colleague of mine recently authored a blog on the Heritage Hill neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Richard Murphy, or “Murph” to his friends, goes into great detail on the important urban...
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Why the War on Infrastructure?
in·fra·struc·ture (ˈinfrəˌstrək(t)SHər/) noun the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or...
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Progress in the Mitten State
Legislators gather at Quicken Loans in Detroit Yesterday a bi-partisan group of over 20 state legislators accepted the Michigan Municipal League’s invitation to meet at Quicken Loans HQ in downtown...
View ArticleAre You Wondering About How to Make Your City Attractive? Here’s How-
Here’s a short video that is worth the time to watch. With “How to Make an Attractive City,” Swiss writer Alain de Botton declares a six-point plan that all cities should follow. The video is a little...
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Great People, Great Work- How We are Building Great Communities For the Future
I work with some amazing people who dance along the cutting edge of civic innovation. Below are some samples of our collective work. There are examples of city building in all of its facets- civic...
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Problems With NIMBYism
NIMBYs (Not in my backyard!) CAVE people (Citizens against virtually everything) STPs (Same ten people) We’ve all got them. The ones who show up at hearings to block anything different from happening...
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Walk up style housing coming to Michigan in a big way
Walkable urban places are not just a phenomenon of coastal U.S. metropolitan areas. This report demonstrates that the market desires them in Michigan—and they are gaining traction. If this emerging...
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‘Convert Capitol Ave’- What a “public” street should look like
Empty roadway replaced by life on Capitol Avenue This blog is from the fabulous Lisa Donovan… A better use of prime location than metered parking Under a blazing hot July sun, Lansing residents and...
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Notes from an Amazing Urban Gathering in Traverse City
Earlier this month the Michigan Municipal League held its annual meeting in Traverse City. Home to beautiful views, a bustling downtown and an emerging cultural scene Traverse City was the perfect host...
View ArticleStrong Partnerships, Great Placemaking
“Place needs business. Business needs talent. Talent wants place.” This is the unofficial mantra of the Sense of Place Council (SoP). The SoP is a collection of organizations and interest groups in...
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Increasing Home Ownership by Combating the ‘Appraisal Gap’ in Detroit
The appraisal gap is a problem in cities like Detroit. The effects of years of economic decline and depopulation continue to wreak havoc on the real estate market, despite hot markets in several...
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Flint Water- for every action there is a reaction
Many outsiders look at the situation in Flint, Michigan with bewilderment. They ask, how can an American city essentially poison its own citizens with lead laced water? What kind of process leads to...
View ArticleState imposed oppressive funding scheme for municipal operations hurts all...
Here is an excellent article that appears in today’s Detroit Free Press from my colleague Tony Minghine, further evidence that Michigan’s system for funding cities is broken and must change. Take a...
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