Volume 3 Number 5: October 2007

                  

Enjoy these green downtowns while they last!

 

Director's Message

 

 In Our Own Hands: The Need for Refreshed Urban Policies in Michigan

Over the past month, we all watched cringing as Governor Granholm and the Legislature struggled to save the state from an impending government shut down. Faced with the extreme positions of raising two billion dollars (five percent of the state’s budget) in new taxes or slashing as much from already under-resourced departments, Michigan’s policy makers got first-hand experience in what it means to be a city official in today’s economy. 
 Finish reading. . .

back to top
   

Project Updates

  

New voices, new ideas

Between seven brilliant new interns, and Anna Clark stepping into Sharon Carney's sizable shoes as Communications Coordinator, things look more than a little different around the Suburbs Alliance. If you have any media questions or insights, please email Anna at her brand-new address: anna@suburbsalliance.org
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mel's kicking it with local students on land use
Word's getting out about our savvy associate director, Mel Piana. Creative Change Educational Solutions has tapped her to speak in local classrooms (coming up: Inkster), and we couldn't approve of the match more. CCES is an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit that specializes in sustainability education and is kicking off its newest high school curriculum and teacher education program. "Lessons from the Land" analyzes the intersections of policy, land use, and water quality. While so many American government curriculums focus solely on federal government, CCES brings it back home with an innovative local spotlight. Cheers to that!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

back to top
   

In the News

  

Sure, fuel-efficient vehicles are vital to mitigating global warming. But they're not enough. Unless we build more sustainable cities - choosing Smart Growth over urban sprawl - we risk neutralizing the benefits of fuel efficiency by requiring citizens to drive a half hour to the grocery store. Get the facts in a new report from the Urban Land Institute and its allies: Growing Cooler: Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's a "Rustbelt" region to do in the new knowledge economy? Evolve, and harness the vitality of the Great Lakes to do it. The Great Lakes Economic Initiative is exploring the possibilities for a new age, beginning with their framing report: The Vital Center: A Federal-State Compact to Renew the Great Lakes Region

back to top
   

Upcoming Events

  

Engaging Innovation: A Regional Vision at Work

Have you heard that west Michigan is WIRED? Learn more about the region's initiative to attract and retain innovative employers and skilled jobs at this one-day conference put on by WIRED West Michigan and the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. Invited speakers include Emily DeRocco (Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Labor, Education and Training) and the Honorable Jennifer Granholm. Learn more about the conference, and how you can register, here.

 

October 11, 2007

8:00 a.m - 1:30 p.m

Steelcase University Town Hall & Exhibit Center
901 44th Street SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49508
------------------------------------------------------------------

Wayne County Citizen Planner Program

Get skills, knowledge, and allies to be a powerful citizen leader in your community! Michigan State University's Extension Citizen Planner program is staffed with local residents, professionals, and public officials with deep roots in our region--and all are ready to share their know-how with you. Learn more about the program and register online here.

 

October 13-November 27, 2007
Caroline Kennedy Library

24590 George
Dearborn Heights, MI 48127
 -------------------------------------------------------------------

MAP's Planning Michigan Conference
The Michigan Association of Planning is holding their Annual Conference, Planning Michigan, this fall. Hot topics on the agenda are housing, green development, the right to farm and planning for fresh food in your community. The conference fulfills AICP and MSUE Master Citizen Planner Continuing Education Credits. For more information, click here.

October 17-20, 2007

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

100 Grand Traverse Village Boulevard

Acme, MI 49610

 

Visit www.suburbsalliance.org for more events!
 

back to top

© 2007 Michigan Suburbs Alliance, All Rights Reserved