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.
This is a reminder Blueprint America: Beyond the Motor City debuts nationally this February 8 at 10pm on PBS. Watch the trailer here.
Last week the Obama administration finally announced the recepients of the stimulus package's high-speed rail projects and despite considerable rhetoric and promises, Michigan was largely ignored. While it was certainly a disappointment it is not the end of a greater push to bring Michigan into a new regional transportation network.
Plunging temperatures, gray skies and long nights don't mean we need to hurry indoors until springtime. Many cities around the world now offer inspiring examples of how creative placemaking allows people to enjoy public spaces and lively community streets throughout the winter. From Copenhagen to Quebec City to New York, people are flocking to outdoor markets and festivals.
Japanese-esque bullet trains aren't exactly right around the corner but in the past month some interesting and encouraging developments transpired in the ongoing saga that is mass transit in Michigan. Why should you care? Well, transit by no means is a panacea to all of what ails Michigan, but it is an essential tool to creating the strong urban cores that Michigan lacks.
As long as Michigan fails to offer vibrant downtowns or other traditional commercial districts with distinct experiences we'll struggle to appeal to a significant segment of the mobile work force and more importantly we’ll continue to shortchange ourselves both economically and in terms of quality of life
Starting in a few weeks there is going to be a monthly radio show on WJR 760 Am radio dedicated to rethinking the role of Michigan's cities and their importance to our economic future. Let's Save Michigan has been asked to help them fill a regular segment on the show by highlighting individuals and organizations working to recreate Michigan's cities. Help us by telling us your story!
A couple painful truths; things could have gone better for Michigan in 2009 and we're a week in to 2010 and you've probably already abandoned your New Year's resolution. To those two points here are some real personal actions we can all take in 2010 to make things better for our communities and the state we all love so much.
For our on-going Making Michigan series, a friend of ours submitted one of her favorite places, Detroit's Dakota Inn. The Dakota Inn Rathskeller is a German beer hall family owned since 1933. Opened by Karl Kurz, a worker at Ford's Highland Park factory, it has been for generations a venue for merriment and German sing-alongs and an anchor institution in a neighborhood that has seen better days.
A call to action this last weekend before Christmas: Avoid the insanity of the malls and visit your local downtown or main street. It'll help your community and may just reaffirm your faith in humanity.
Ann Arbor non-profit 826michigan is ready for the season with a zany holiday window display and plans for a big New Years bash. The organization provides elementary through high school students with after school tutoring sessions, writing workshops and additional educational programming, and their fundraising events have a reputation for being unique and inventive.
The general public needs to start questioning Lansing's economic development efforts. As in why do we subsidize the construction of fake main streets while real ones languish?
For this week's installment of MAKING MICHIGAN we look at an antique store and deli that have brought new life to a Sears tire shop that had sat abandoned for decades in downtown Flint.
Arts and cultural institutions of all shapes and sizes add to the rich fabric of a city and ultimately their viability. Increasingly young people are moving to cities that offer them the highest quality of life, even more so than where the job openings are located. Here is a quick look at the unique cultural and artistic opportunities an average weekend produced.
In advance of Thanksgiving in our weekly segment, MAKING MICHIGAN, we highlight Ann Arbor's People's Food Co-op. More than just a quaint, local grocery store, the People's Co-op is an anchor business in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown and a source for healthty living and community pride.
While some optimists trumpet Michigan's urban cities as a "blank canvases" or as laboratories to create and make a name for oneself others are drawn to them for the sense of community that has been forged out of the decline of city services and institutional support in the wake of the recent recession.
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.
