Placemaking MML

November 30, 2016

Planning for, not by, autonomous vehicles

Center for Automotive Research recently presented their draft findings on what connected and autonomous vehicles mean for our communities, as part of the November Stakeholder Summit for Prosperity Region 9 (the "Greater Ann Arbor Region"). The research team's work has…

November 11, 2016

Creating Vassar’s Vision

Creating Vassar's Vision from Michigan Municipal League on Vimeo. Vassar is a unique place. The small city, with a population less than 2,700 people, had six new businesses open in just over a year. The one-block downtown now offers a…

November 3, 2016

How Road Diets Drive Development

This graphic from NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide shows how road diets can improve safety and traffic flow. Many a traditional main street has suffered from bloated roads: where a street was once lined with bustling sidewalks and businesses, the…

October 21, 2016

Pop-up Testing in Berkley’s Robina Plaza Continues

We're excited to see phase three of the Robina Plaza project underway in the city of Berkley. For the past two years, we've partnered with the community to explore their vision of transforming the intersection of Robina at 12 Mile…

October 19, 2016

Race, Poverty and Policy from MLPP

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…

October 13, 2016

Better places need better rules–how do we get there?

We know that traditional zoning and development codes, as applied by nearly every one of our hundreds of members across Michigan, can be harmful to building strong, prosperous communities. We have major statewide initiatives to support locals in wrestling their…

October 3, 2016

Rising Tide Workshop Bolsters Skills of At-Risk Communities

Pouring rain didn't deter representatives from ten Project Rising Tide communities. They jumped in their cars and headed to the League's Lansing office on Sept. 29 for a day full of enlightening sessions. The League and the Michigan Economic Development…

October 3, 2016

Online Engagement Tools and Strategies

At this year's Convention, we invited Scott TenBrink from the University of Michigan's School of Information's Citizen Interaction Design program to speak about engagement, and specifically online or app-based engagement tools. The CID team has spent the past few years…

June 15, 2016

Planning for the Future in Calumet and Baraga

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…

June 15, 2016

Detroit Shines at CNU 24

Gem Theater Detroit was at the heart of CNU 24 last week! For the past two years, the League partnered with Congress for the New Urbanism to bring their 24th international convention to our doorstep. League staffers held positions on…