Michigan
New Law in Michigan Makes it Easier for Bikers to Turn Right
The new law is for any bike rider who has ever paused to wonder if drivers on the road even understand the meaning of the traditional right turn hand signal.
Questioning ‘If You Demolish It, They Will Come’
Removing Detroit’s blight is highly emotional, and made more difficult by the lack of models for emulation. A recent editorial rejects the assumption that removing blight from over 100,000 vacant lots is sufficient to stimulate economic development.
Professionals Priced Out of Hot Detroit Neighborhoods
As unbelievable as it may sound in a city with tens of thousands of vacant properties, young professionals are being priced out of popular Detroit neighborhoods like Midtown and Corktown as demand far exceeds supply.
Detroit Reboots Revitalization Plans for Brush Park
Signaling a shift in fortunes for Detroit’s residential market, the city is seeking investors for Brush Park, a historic, but largely vacant, residential neighborhood adjacent to downtown.
Billionaire's Optimism on Downtown Detroit is Contagious
By investing $1.3 billion in downtown Detroit, Dan Gilbert's bullish attitude towards the city's future has stood out amidst the city's recent troubles. But developers are beginning to buy into his rosy vision for the Motor City.
Detroit Blight Fight Begins in Earnest Monday
75 teams of surveyors will fan out across Detroit on Monday to begin cataloging the city's vacant buildings block-by-block. One of the leaders of the effort is estimating that eliminating blight could cost $1 billion.
Could Detroit Be "Blight-Free" in 36 Months?
Kevyn Orr, Detroit’s emergency manager, has expressed his belief that the city can clear its backlog of 78,000 blighted buildings within the next 18-36 months.
Judge Allows Detroit Bankruptcy to Proceed
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled today that the city of Detroit is eligible for bankruptcy protection, allowing the city to proceed with the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Public employee unions are expected to appeal.
Holiday Cheer Boosts Businesses Along Main Street
Eight years after downtown Rochester sparked a retail resurgence along its Main Street with a holiday light display, small towns across Metro Detroit are following suit to create a sense of place and lure shoppers away from boring big boxes.
Detroit Considers Highway Removal to Help Its Downtown Revival
By exploring whether to turn I-375 into a surface street, the city that is the United States' foremost exemplar of suburban flight is considering a historic reversal that would demonstrate its optimism in its recovering downtown.
18 Projects That Could Transform Detroit
Greenways, streetcars, and adaptive re-use projects are among the conceptual, as well as in-progress, initiatives profiled by Ashley Woods.
Getting to Know Decaying Detroit, Parcel-by-Parcel
An "unprecedented" effort being led by Detroit’s new Blight Task Force will document the city's crumbling and vacant properties. It's part of a multi-pronged effort to combat Detroit's widespread blight.
Detroit Struggles to Turn the Lights Back On
After forty years of disinvestment in public lighting, Detroit's tens of thousands of broken street and alley lights contribute to incidents of crime and traffic accidents. Can a new lighting authority grow the city's glow?
Urban Politics: Voters Choose Three New Big City Mayors
Emily Badger of The Atlantic Cities and Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution sit down with The NewsHour's Gwen Ifill for a discussion on the elections of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Shrinking Cities Seek to Shrink Streets
In Rust Belt cities like Flint, Michigan, a loss of population translates to less cars on oversized streets. Angie Schmitt examines how Flint, and other cities like it, are trying to right-size their transportation infrastructure.
What Will It Take to Move Detroit's Holdout Homeowners?
Marooned in an ocean of crumbling homes, declining city services, stray dogs, and crime, as many as 10,000 Detroiters live in areas that are unlikely to rebound. What incentives can the city devise to get them to relocate?
How is Technology Transforming the American City?
For a feature on Technology and the City, Architectural Record examines how the digital economy and tech culture are transforming Chattanooga, Detroit, Austin, and San Francisco. Many changes are welcome, but can urban success become too successful?
Detroit Bankruptcy Highlights Nation's Obsession With Diplomas
If you thought the bankruptcy in Detroit was caused by the disappearance of manufacturing jobs, well, you'd be wrong. Alan Mallach explains how our obsession with college degrees contributed to the downfall of a city.
$300 Million Aid Package Aimed at Revitalizing Detroit's Neighborhoods
The $300 million in federal and private aid announced Friday for Detroit is just a drop in the bucket compared to the city's $18 billion debt. While the aid is far short of a bailout, it represents a down payment on the city's recovery.
A Deep Dive on Detroit's Path to Insolvency
The story of how Detroit became the largest US city to ever file for bankruptcy is a long and tangled one featuring many villains and several "if only" moments. The Detroit Free Press reviews 50+ years of financial history to set the record straight.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
