Research

Detroit is midstride in its great comeback, emerging like a phoenix in full burn. In a city which has suffered so much loss, not only are community leaders and private investors acting to salvage what remains, but they are making the city whole again by knitting together gaps with new...

Our friends at Consumers Energy asked the Michigan Municipal League to share with our members news about the company's "Put Your Town on the Map" Pitch competition. Here are the details announced by Consumers Energy last week: The "Put Your Town on the Map" competition will provide a total of...

Does your southeast Michigan community have an idea for a creative public space that encourages active play of people of all ages? Do you think you could come up with such an idea? If you can yes to either of those questions, then the Play Everywhere Challenge could be for...

If a group of community-minded young people comes knocking on city hall's door, you might want to pay close attention. When Jackson Young Professionals (JxnYP) did the knocking to float the idea for a new community event, the answer was a resounding yes. Recently, I got to see the result...

Dan Gilmartin is a keynote speaker at the 2018 Vermonth League of Cities & Towns Townfair 2018 taking place this week. Dan Gilmartin, the CEO and executive director for the Michigan Municipal League, will be in Vermont this week as the keynote speaker for the Vermont League of Cities &...

On October 11, Lansing is hosting its third annual Creative Placemaking Summit. I’m honored to be one of the presenters and will be sharing the stage with two of my favorite creative placemakers, Rebekah Kik and Danielle Lewinski. Our assignment is to tackle a tough topic: the cultural conflict between...

March is Arts Advocacy Month, and Creative Many Michigan is encouraging people to help "create the spark" for arts.  The organization is celebrating "the impact of arts and creativity in Michigan," and highlighting the "critical importance of the arts, not only on individual lives, but on the quality of life,...

On October 10, the Michigan League for Public Policy hosted a half-day forum, Race, Poverty & Policy: Creating an Equitable Michigan. We were blown away by many of the speakers and resources so we wanted to share a few with our members: What is racial justice? - Keynote speaker and...

Calumet residents, supporters and business leaders participate in a successful visioning session in the village Monday. Two Upper Michigan communities are in the early planning stages of potential revitalization. The Villages of Calumet and Baraga are each having public meetings this week as key first steps in forming new village...

Last week something pretty cool happened: 200 people attended a community visioning workshop in Vassar, MI. The city has a population of about 2,600, so a 7% turnout is a success worth celebrating. This visioning event was pretty unlike most organized through a traditional charrette. When I first sat down...