Dan Gilmartin and Natalie Burg talk about aging in place on the Prosperity Agenda radio show.

From now until 2030, AARP predicts all 50 states will see a “rapid acceleration in growth” in their elderly populations as baby boomers turn 65.

During this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR the Michigan Municipal League's Dan Gilmartin and guests talk about retiring baby boomers and the unprecedented opportunity they bring to cities and downtowns ready to accommodate them.

Several Michigan communities, such as Marquette, Holland and Howell, are already recognized for meeting this challenge and becoming thriving environments for retirees. The show airs 7 p.m. Wednesday on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen to the show anytime here on our website or by podcast here. You can register now for the Age-Friendly Communities Conference coming Feb 28 to UM-Ann Arbor.

The host of the show is League CEO Dan Gilmartin and his co-host for this first show of 2013 is Natalie Burg, a writer and owner of Vial Half Full Communications. Natalie is a former Downtown Development Director in Owosso and now writes about cities, placemaking and downtowns for numerous outlets including Metromode and Ann Arbor’s Concentrate. Our other guests are Marquette City Manager Bill Vajda, Barbara Spreitzer-Berent, an urban planner and gerontologist who serves as volunteer state coordinator for health and supportive services for AARP Michigan; and Joe Borgstrom, director of downtown and community services division for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It airs on News/Talk 760 WJR on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Matt Bach is director of media relations for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 or mbach@mml.org.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan - The Michigan Municipal League has won two international “MarCom Awards” (Marketing & Communications) from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

The MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals. The competition is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world and this year there were more than 6,000 entries submitted in multiple categories.

The League was a “Gold Winner” for the cover of the May/June 2010 issue of the Review magazine. This magazine cover recreated the famous “Abbey Road” album cover by the Beatles and our version included officials from the City of Brighton strolling along a striped crosswalk in downtown Brighton. The League also received an “Honorable Mention” MarCom Award in the radio show category for our Prosperity Agenda radio show that airs on the fourth Wednesday of each month on News/Talk 760 WJR.

The Review magazine and Prosperity Agenda radio show are two key parts of the League's effort to communicate to a broad audience about the importance of placemaking, which is indentified in the League's Center for 21st Century initiative. Just what is place and placemaking - read more here.

The League won a Gold MarCom Award for this magazine cover about walkable communities.

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at (734) 669-6317 or mbach@mml.org.

DETROIT, Michigan - Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin and Let's Save Michigan's Sean Mann discussed the importance of civic engagement during the most recent Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR. The show aired Wedenesday, Jan. 26, 2011, but you can listen any time here. Guests on the show were Josh McManus, Rory Neuner and Kim Hodge.  Civic engagement is a key part of having vibrant communities. Additional information: The Michigan Municipal League website; the Prosperity Agenda Radio Show page; the League's Facebook page; and the League's Twitter page.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda powered by The Michigan Municipal League, is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month since January of 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the Michigan Municipal League (the League). The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).

Matt Bach is director of communications for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at mbach@mml.org and (734) 669-6317.