Clik here to view.
Eye Candy for City-o-philes, Architects and Fans of Old Buildings
The Grand Lobbies of Detroit via Imgur. To view all the pictures in the series click here.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Check Out These Updates on ‘PlacePlans’ Work in Michigan
The crew at the Michigan Municipal League is at it again with some great new placemaking work in communities throughout the state. We are working on open air food markets, walkability, cultural...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The League’s Detroit, Flint, Midland and Marquette ‘PlacePlans’ Draw Praise...
As an add on to the December 4 post below, check out these new stories on the PlacePlans work around Michigan. These exciting projects are drawing praise from local residents, economic developers, the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Aussie Urbanist in America’s Heartland
Last week I had the opportunity to host my friend Peter Smith in Michigan. Peter is the CEO of the Adelaide, South Australia City Council and a pioneer in the place-led governance movement. Peter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Progress in the Mitten State
Legislators gather at Quicken Loans in Detroit Yesterday a bi-partisan group of over 20 state legislators accepted the Michigan Municipal League’s invitation to meet at Quicken Loans HQ in downtown...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Great People, Great Work- How We are Building Great Communities For the Future
I work with some amazing people who dance along the cutting edge of civic innovation. Below are some samples of our collective work. There are examples of city building in all of its facets- civic...
View ArticleCongress for the New Urbanism Zeros in on Motown in New Video
“You know there’s still a part of this city that no one’s really ever going to truly get.” The following video profiles a few of my new urbanist friends and tells the story about what is happening on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Great Places, Great Spaces
Campus Martius from my seat on the southern edge I’m spending the day in downtown Detroit. The temperature is 75 degrees and the skies are blue. I’ll save you the written lecture about community...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Here is My Nominee for Best Art in an Alley. What’s Yours?
The Belt in downtown Detroit.
View ArticleClik here to view.
Walk up style housing coming to Michigan in a big way
Walkable urban places are not just a phenomenon of coastal U.S. metropolitan areas. This report demonstrates that the market desires them in Michigan—and they are gaining traction. If this emerging...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Notes from an Amazing Urban Gathering in Traverse City
Earlier this month the Michigan Municipal League held its annual meeting in Traverse City. Home to beautiful views, a bustling downtown and an emerging cultural scene Traverse City was the perfect host...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Futbol and crowdfunding- a ‘match’ made in Detroit
“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Increasing Home Ownership by Combating the ‘Appraisal Gap’ in Detroit
The appraisal gap is a problem in cities like Detroit. The effects of years of economic decline and depopulation continue to wreak havoc on the real estate market, despite hot markets in several...
View ArticleState imposed oppressive funding scheme for municipal operations hurts all...
Here is an excellent article that appears in today’s Detroit Free Press from my colleague Tony Minghine, further evidence that Michigan’s system for funding cities is broken and must change. Take a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
International Gathering of New Urbanists in Detroit
The Congress for the New Urbanism convenes this week in Detroit for CNU24. Detroit is a perfect place to see the good and the bad, the new and the old, and what works and what doesn’t in city life. The...
View ArticleThe Living City
Like any organism, the city must receive continual nourishment to thrive and to flourish. Like a calf without milk or flowers without sunlight, cities eventually waste away without a recurrent supply...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ten Years of Placemaking In Michigan. A Story of Achievements and Successes
My colleague Shanna Draheim authored an important report detailing the successes of placemaking efforts over the last ten years by the Michigan Municipal League and its partners- A Decade of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Column: Invest in talent that drives economic growth
Please follow this link to read the Detroit News editorial that I co authored with Dan Hurley from the Michigan Association of State Universities about Michigan’s need to attract and retain talent in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
UPDATE: Make that 3! 2 Great Professional Opportunities in DC, NYC and...
Here are two 3 job openings that don’t come along very often. If you are the right person for one of them, or if out somebody who is, jump on the chance. CEO. Project for Public Spaces. Direct the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ignore the sequencing patterns of urban development at your own peril
Here are two examples of what matters in urban redevelopment. City officials and urban developers should understand that there is an important sequencing that governs redevelop cycles in under...
View Article