All year, the League and its partners – Michigan State University and Michigan State Housing Development Authority – have been working with community leaders and residents in eight cities throughout Michigan. The goal was to help communities design and implement transformative placemaking projects that focus economic development efforts around walkable downtown districts.

The result is creative PlacePlans that are uniquely customized for each community. Cadillac’s “Heritage Plaza” concept envisions the site as a year-round destination and hub of downtown. Southwest Detroit’s “Connecting Communities with Vernor Crossing” PlacePlan redesigns a vacant brownfield site as a flexible public plaza, retail center and shared market space for local entrepreneurs. Flint’s Grand Traverse Greenway PlacePlan provides unique designs for intersections, community connections and amenities for this 3.4 mile bike/walk trail. Creating a “food innovation district” in the Western Gateway area was the recommendation of Holland’s PlacePlan.

The “Downtown Jackson Alleyway” can become an inviting part of the city with PlacePlan design elements that enliven and link together destinations along the alley. Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s new healthy living campus and surrounding area can benefit from the Kalamazoo PlacePlan’s recommendations for a sustainable transportation plan. Marquette’s “Reimagining Baraga Avenue” PlacePlan is full of ideas to improve the connectivity and appearance of this section of downtown. And in Midland’s PlacePlan, learn about the strategic opportunities for the city’s popular farmers market as a functional market, community gathering space, and catalyst for economic development in downtown.

To read the full reports for all the 2014 PlacePlans, visit the PlacePlans page.