Each year Fast Company magazine highlights 12 'Fast Cities' that are doing bold and innovative things to make themselves more competitive in the global marketplace and the improve quality of life. In doing so they highlight many of the same principles our own campaign is advocating more Michigan cities adopt.
A couple of you have sent us links to this project, and we're interested to hear what the rest of you think about it. The mayor and the Grand Action Committee recently announced plans to develop a $27-million, year-round market in the Heartside Neighborhood.
The Friday, April 23, the Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit will take place at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Via Noah Kazis at StreetsBlog, here is a great conversation with Dan Burden, the founder and executive director of Walkable Communities, Inc. The interview focuses on a recent report Burden helped develop, "Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach."
Earlier this year Michelle Damon reportedly stated that Detroit wasn't cosmopolitan enough for the Tiger's new star left fielder, Johnny Damon. Model D Media was kind enough to publish our open letter to Mrs. Damon, thanking her for reminding us about the importance of quality of place to Michigan's economic future.
Reuse is not always easy - as this Traverse City example shows - but it can be inspirational and go a long way toward transforming life in communities large and small. Nostalgic, perhaps with a hint of modern romance, revived historic structures preserve our sense of heritage and offer a chance to create the vibrant communities Michigan needs.
Can a no-budget parade to rid the Motor City of a menacing dwarf save Detroit? Well obviously not. What a dumb question. But that parade could highlight the less than apparent appeal of Detroit and Michigan’s other cities to today’s young people.
In addition to signing the pledge for Michigan, we have been asking you to share your stories about how and why you plan to get Michigan back on track—and you’ve been responding. We wanted to take a moment to pass along some of the highlights and common themes.
We received over 300 entries, selected 60 finalists, and over 20,000 of you voted for your favorite poster representing Michigan's future. And the winner of the Let's Save Michigan and Detroit Institute of Arts poster contest is . . .
With the state facing some historic challenges, the Legislature and Governor decided they would grapple with a very serious issue today . . . whether or not you should eat meat this Saturday.
A passing comment in USA Today referring to Michigan's 'boarded-up downtowns' got us thinking about the importance of Michiganders telling their own story and not buying in to or perpetuating the negative dialogue that surrounds our state.
Congratulations to Marquette, which was just voted the fan favorite of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Distinctive Destinations for 2010.
We're working on getting a leader board for the poster contest up and running. Check back soon to see if your favorite poster is in the lead.
Michigan is one of America's top destinations for craft beer and if you need proof just head to Grand Rapids this Saturday. Nearly 50 craft brewers—including 35 Michigan-owned and operated microbreweries and brewpubs—will gather in Grand Rapids to take part in the fifth-annual Michigan Winter Beer Festival. Beer enthusiast will be able to sample 300-plus beers outdoors at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park just north of the city.
There is a growing sentiment in Michigan and across the nation that “government needs to get back to basics.” Which raises an interesting question: are we even currently doing the basics? Since when are decent roads and libraries and parks not basics? These government services have been staples of our society going back to a time when most people could tell you where they were when they heard Lincoln was shot. Yet we are allowing these key institutions of our society to decay right before our eyes.
We asked artists and designers to come up with creative ways to depict the actions and assets that would create more livable and desirable communities and help turn out Michigan's fortunes. They responded with over 300 submissions. With the help of the Detroit Institute of Art we've come up with 60 finalists but we need your help to name the winner.
Pete Engardio of the NY Times explores companies diversifying and replacing auto jobs with positions in defense, aerospace, and green technologies.
A growing initiative to “Complete Streets” nationwide has Michigan thinking about the value of adopting pedestrian and bicycle-friendly policies and improving the infrastructure for non-motorized transportation. Lansing joined the fray of cities nationwide that have adopted Complete Streets non-motorized network ordinances, and this month they will be the first city in Michigan to present a draft of a Complete Streets network plan. Meanwhile legislators at the Capitol are giving the issue more consideration as they examine the role the state plays in creating desirable communities through transportation policies.
You don’t need to be in New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday in style; in fact, you can celebrate the “Polish Mardi Gras” all over Michigan, but no place tops downtown Hamtramck. In celebration of Paczki Day, thousands will converge on Hamtramck—Michigan’s most diverse city—to kick of a week of Polish food and music and both family-friendly and less than family-friendly entertainment.
Marquette has been named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the 12 most Distinctive Destinations in America in 2010. Join us and Vote Marquette and show the rest of the nation that Michigan has some great cities full of character and charm and where historic preservation and uniqueness are appreciated.
According to the last US Census, 2/3 of college graduates between 24 and 35 chose where they wanted to live before they looked for a job.
Nearly half of Michiganders between the ages of 18-34 say they would visit downtown Detroit more often if there was a better transit system in place.
46% of Michigan's college graduates are leaving the state within a year of graduation.
Ann Arbor offers more than 200 unique dining experiences.
Each year Detroit’s peak-time commuters spend an average of 52 hours sitting in traffic congestion, which wastes 34 gallons of gas per person.
Michigan’s metropolitan areas account for 88% of the state’s gross domestic product and are home to 89% of the jobs.
Traverse City’s walkable downtown boasts more than 150 boutiques, galleries, and restaurants.
Detroit has the second-largest theater district in North America, after New York City.
Every $1 invested in public transit returns around $6 in local economic activity.
Cheers! Michigan ranks 6th in the nation in the number of brewpubs and microbreweries.
