Michigan
Film Industry Lured to Michigan
In an otherwise stalled local economy, a few new construction projects are underway in Michigan, thanks to new tax incentives that are drawing the film industry to the state.
The Feral Houses of Detroit
Plant life is taking over the abandoned houses of Detroit. These photos from James D. Griffioen offer a tour.
Accustomed to Decline, One Neighborhood in Flint Bucks Trend
Take two seemingly unrelated words: Flint and Gentrification. Now put them together. What you get is an unexpected rebirth in one part of the struggling city -- a neighborhood where home ownership and community investment are actually increasing.
Can Michigan -- and Detroit -- Come Back?
Having fallen to near-bottom according to most indicators of urban vitality, Detroit is now facing the possibility of bankruptcy. But there are still reasons for optimism, writes John Ibbitson.
Struggling Cities Meet to Brainstorm Survival Strategies
Representatives from a handful of the country's "fastest-dying cities" met recently in Dayton, Ohio to try to figure out how they could revive their economies and reverse the decline that has been slowly strangling them of jobs, money and people.
Midwest Governors Coordinate to Seek High Speed Rail Funding
At the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit today in Chicago, an agreement was struck between eight states to work cooperatively to achieve Recovery Act funding to develop the Chicago Hub High Speed Rail Corridor - also called the Midwest corridor.
Don't Fear the 'Dozer
Opinions are flying in the debate over whether or not ailing cities like Detroit should bulldoze their empty neighborhoods. John Kromer of the Fels Institute of Government adds a rational note with this op-ed, explaining what The Flint Model for shrinking cities actually entails.
Main Street Beating the Odds
Niles, Michigan has managed to build jobs and add businesses to its Main Street over the past five years. How did they do it? Wayne Senville of the Planning Commissioners Journal stopped by on his tour around the U.S.A.
Struggling Cities Could Become Bike Utopias
As some cities in the Rust Belt depopulate, they present opportunities to develop into new bike utopias. This op-ed from The New York Times argues Detroit is a perfect example.
The Shared Woes of the Auto Industry and the Black Middle Class
The downfall of the American auto industry is also having a major impact on middle and working class African-American families. This piece from the The New York Times Magazine looks at the connection.
Back-To-Nature Plans Stall Innovation
According to this op-ed, allowing cities to de-densify undermines the importance of the city's role in society at large--namely, as a breeding ground for technological and cultural innovation.
Retailers Fleeing Detroit
As recently as the turn of this century, retailers were taking a chance on downtown Detroit. But today, Starbucks, Borders and others are pulling their stores out.
Letting Nature Take its Course
Facing urban decline and abandonment, a growing list of U.S. cities may be dramatically accelerating the process by returning vast swathes of land to nature.
In Detroit, Tiger Stadium Demolition Enters the Home Stretch
After a long battle by preservationists, what's left of the 97-year-old ballpark -- home of the Detroit Tigers from 1912-1999 -- is being demolished.
Detroit Could Become Countryside, Planners Say
A team of visiting planners suggested that Detroit could evolve into a series of urban villages connected by countryside.
A City Without Cars
Michigan's Mackinac Island has been car-free since 1898. GOOD Magazine pays a visit to the island and finds that far from being Luddite, the island is very progressive, from extensive wifi to hydroelectric power.
Reviving the Rust Belt
Smart City talks with grass roots and civic leaders about how to revitalize flagging Rust Belt economies.
Plea for Preservation
Detroit, now no stranger to demolitions, ought to rethink what it does with its abandoned, historic buildings--which have long been bulldozed without much of a second thought.
From Motor City to Garden City
Detroit may be struggling economically, but community groups and citizen activists are keeping the city vibrant with a wide variety of urban farming projects throughout the shrinking city.
Detroit Needs More Than Auto Industry Revival
As the automotive industry takes a deep hit during the current economic recession, many tie the Detroit's hopes to those of the auto industry. But Richard Florida argues Detroit needs to think beyond the car business.
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
