March 12, 2015
Sprawl, Sprawl, and More Sprawl
Sprawl - we know it when we see it. We all live with sprawl in some way or other, but do we ever stop to think how it impacts our lives? Or do we just go through the motions of…
Category Archives: Economic Development
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February 12, 2015
Creating a Purposeful New Life for Old Suburban Sites
Dead regional malls, huge vacancies in strip malls, and empty office buildings have been accumulating in American suburbs in recent years. Much of this change can be attributed to suburban demographic shifts. Particularly since 2000, many babyboomers are now empty-nesters,…
February 9, 2015
Rethinking City Governance Australian-Style
At MLGMA's Winter Institute in January, keynote speaker Peter Smith energetically and enthusiastically shared his experiences of using placemaking to transform the city of Adelaide, South Australia from ho-hum to a world-class destination. About five years ago, Smith, CEO of…
January 7, 2015
Placemaking Happy Hour & Panel Discussion
Placemaker and CEO of Adelaide, Australia Peter Smith is coming to Michigan to speak at the Michigan Local Government Managers Association Winter Institute at the end of the month. Because he's traveling so far, we figured we better take advantage…
December 11, 2014
Year in Review: The Best Placemaking Reports of 2014
Placemaking is such a buzz word of 2014 - and that's a good thing! Placemaking awareness has been on the rise for the past few years, but themes, ideas, and policies are now more generally accepted and promoted. Placemaking is…
December 5, 2014
Small Businesses Support Michigan Communities & Local Economies
Small Business Saturday is growing momentum. This year, 88 million people across the country shopped locally on November 29, which is up nearly 15% from last year. The impact? $14.3 billion - not bad for some small businesses! And according…
November 25, 2014
West Michigan Attracts Talent during Holiday Season
A community's aesthetics and outdoor amenities have a large impact on talent attraction and retention. Michigan has higher learning institutions that attract students from around the world. College towns' population surges during the school year, but communities struggle to keep…
November 20, 2014
East Lansing Leads Nation in Equality Policies
Communities prioritizing talent attraction and retention should focus on investing in equality, says a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC's Municipal Equality Index recently published its 2014 evaluation of municipal LGBT equality laws across the country. According…
October 30, 2014
Small Businesses Promote Place and Enhance the Local Economy
Cafe con Leche in Southwest Detroit There are many incentive programs targeting entrepreneurs, such as funding opportunities like Hatch and Revolve, but few grant dollars are going towards existing businesses. With the goal to increase business sales, create new jobs,…
October 29, 2014
Finding the Future of Places in Buenos Aires
During the first week of September, I had the privilege of attending an international conference in Buenos Aires that focused on streets as public spaces and how they can drive urban prosperity. This is the second of a series of three…