The League was present when transit advocates from across Michigan met in Flint on April 19th to hear from the Brookings Institution on reserach performed connecting transportation to jobs. The event was hosted by the Mott Foundation.

The research is included in a Brookings report titled, “Missed Opportunity:  Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America.”  The report looks at the availability of transit as a means of getting residents to their jobs and studied the top 100 metros in the country, including Grand Rapids and Detroit.

The report notes that 70% of the population in these metros lives within 3/4 mile of transit.  This means that while 88 million Americans are covered, 40 million are not.  Of the 100 metros, Detroit ranks 49th in coverage but 83rd in job access while Grand Rapids ranks 78th in coverageby 14th in job access. 

The disparity comes from the fact that while most Detroit residents have transit coverage, 77% of Detroit metro jobs are 10 miles or more away clearly showing the disconnect between jobs and where people live.

This "transit paradox", between where transit is and where the jobs are is, according to Brookings, creating a unique opportunity to connect people to jobs.

As the governor, legislators, MDOT and others continue the discussion on Michigan's infrastructure we must remember that creating a multi-modal 21st century transportation network is of primary need in order to attract business and ensure Michigan's economic recovery.

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

More and more communities are realizing the importance of providing safe walkable and bikable options for their residents for a multitude of reasons.  Not only do biking and walking offer great recreational opportunities, but they promote a healthy life style, and can provide an alternative to the car as a way of getting around.     

Each year, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) makes available training opportunities that support the creation of walkable and bikable communities.    Training is offered to MDOT staff, county and local agency planners, engineers and other community officials.  Training is typically offered for free, but does require a certain level of commitment of staff and resources from the partnering host community.

If you are interested in hosting one of these training sessions, please see attached flyer.  Training Opportunities for MDOT.pdf (2.10 mb)  The deadline is March 23rd!

Colleen Layton is Director of Policy Development for the Michigan Municipal League.  She can be reached at 734-669-6320 or by clayton@mml.org

Thirty-three communities along the I-69 corridor in Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, and Shiawassee counties and several in the Grand Traverse area have signed inter-local agreements to form trade corridors and become hubs for commerce and freight and logistics in their regions.

Both have initiatives have received a Next Michigan Development Corporation/Aerotropolis designation from the Michigan Strategic Fund.

As noted in a press release from the Prima Civitas Foundation, the goal of the I-69 initiative is to "enable the I-69 Corridor to market the region's collective strengths to businesses that are engaged in international multi-modal commerce as an alternative to the congestion occuring at other border crossings, rail shipping/receiving yards, and airports." As a region there are many such assets including Bishop Airport, major freeways, the Blue Water Bridge, CSX and Canadian National rails, and several water ports.

These regional collaboartive efforts involve not only local government but other public sector entities and the private sector as well.  Public/Private regional collaboration on economic development is a key element in creating the vibrant kinds of places emphasized in the League's Center for 21st Century Communities program.  

Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail.

TED lecturer Ellen Dunham-Jones, an architecture and urban design professor at Georgia Tech, thinks that a major trend for the next 50 years should be “retrofitting suburbia,” she argues. Underutilized areas are wasting space in many suburbs. Dunham-Jones says these frequently include “dying malls,” half empty parking lots, and underperforming strip malls and big box stores. Instead of continuing to eat up more and more green space on the edges of town, she suggests plenty of ways to redesign or redevelop existing suburban communities.

“What do you do with a dead mall or parking lot?” she asks and answers in her lecture. She gives a lot of solid examples of retrofits that have benefited suburban dwellers across the U.S. Art spaces, nursing homes, universities, office spaces, churches, libraries, upscale grocers, and green spaces have all given such spaces a second life. Some of the examples of success stories she talks about actually created brand new main streets and urbanized hubs.

As with many TED lectures, Dunham-Jones’ ideas have traveled via internet to all corners of the globe. Young writer Rashiq Fataar, who started social media website Future Cape Town to encourage 21st-century ready initiatives in Cape Town, South Africa, credits Dunham-Jones in his piece “4 Principles for Re-Designing the Suburbs for the Future.” This post is another interesting read with practical suggestions that can apply to any place, anywhere.

Jennifer Eberbach is a journalist in Ann Arbor, MI. Visit her at www.jenthewriter.info, or contact her at jennifereberbach@gmail.com