Corkboard: Monthly News from the Michigan Suburbs Alliance



	Volume 1 Number 4 \| September 2005

	Message from the Executive Director Calthorpian Geography "At some point we have to recognize that we're no longer pioneers on a frontier." *Peter Calthorpe* Peter Calthorpe used to be a radical, a prodigy, a phenomenon. Somewhere between the founding of his urban design firm in 1983 and his presentation in Ann Arbor last month to launch the revamp of its downtown, Calthorpe became the spokesman for the mainstream. However, it was not Calthorpe who changed so much as the country. There's hardly a planners' school in America now that isn't teaching The New Urbanism, a set of principles that Calthorpe has espoused for decades. Until now, Calthorpe worked mainly on the western side of the country, but the new Ann Arbor project gives him a chance to showcase his strategy for urban revitalization in the Midwest, and promises all of us a chance to evaluate these principles in action. Continue reading Calthorpian Geography. Project Updates Here's some news to brighten up your first day back to business after a long holiday weekend- today we launched our Redevelopment Ready Communities website, www.redevelopmentready.com. This website houses valuable information about the program including an explanation of the certification process, case studies, status updates, and informational resources. Take a look and tell us what you think. Our Resource Sharing project continues to pick up speed. In early August, members of the fire subcommittee gathered for the first time. The meeting was tremendously informative and very well attended: city managers, union leaders, fire chiefs, and elected officials were all in attendance and each offered a wealth of information on fire collaboration. We are using all of their input to craft our half day Fire Sharing Workshop, which is the first in our five part resource sharing series. In September, both our staff pooling/public works and our insurance subcommittees will meet for the first time. Contact Rachel or Brittany for more information on these meetings, and stay alert for upcoming resource sharing events. Steering committee members of the Michigan Universities program met August 8 to review pilot program plans for student interns, class projects and research partnerships. WSU Associate Professor Gary Sands, AICP, will be sponsoring the pilot program's class project with his course on the implementation of local economic development financing, where students will investigate various state incentive programs and how to use available tools. Students will work in pairs or teams to evaluate their host city's goals and constraints and create an economic development strategy for a corridor, a neighborhood, or the city. Cities that have shown interest in the program by either attending steering committee meetings or contacting us are eligible to be pilot communities and must turn in applications by September 9. These cities have already been contacted, but if you are interested in applying for an intern or hosting a class project, there will be opportunities for participation beginning in January. Contact Brittany if you are interested or have any questions about the program. The three grantee projects of the MDRII program which include the Fort-Visger Initiative, the Van Dyke-8 Mile Gateway Collaborative, and the Detroit-Grosse Pointe Park Collaborative are in full swing. All three groups have met with LISC to finalize the grant approval process and are beginning plans to actualize their community development projects. The Suburbs Alliance is aiding in community education and promotion. On September 29, the V-8 Collaborative will hold a community announcement meeting to discuss the projected impact of their facade improvement in the Van Dyke-8 Mile corridor as well as workforce development, asset building programs, and social equity. If you are interested in learning more about the MDRII projects or attending the meeting, get in touch with Cooper. >> Back to the Top In the News Executive Director Conan Smith set the record straight about DDA's and the detrimental effects of Headlee and Proposal A in an editorial he co-wrote with Brad Garmon of the Michigan Environmental Council. Written in response to an August 1 editorial that pointed to downtown development efforts to explain municipalities' financial strain, his editorial highlights the true causes of the financial crisis sweeping Michigan cities. Read it here. Although the mass transit initiative in metro Detroit got off to a great start with the award of $100 million in federal funds last month, there are already many obstacles to overcome before plans for a system get underway. Regional cooperation is topping the list of challenges with opponents criticizing the proposed route, the lack of an overseeing authority, and the ability of a light rail line to service to the region's decentralized work centers. Read the News' "Light-rail backers face roadblocks" and be sure to attend SEMCOG's public meeting on the issue. Mass transit needs your support! Across the country there is a 5 million unit shortage of affordable rental units, and in Michigan, the situation is even more severe. In "America's Fading Dream: Homeownership for Working People," Charlene Cromwell highlights the intensifying housing crisis in Michigan that is preventing not only the poor, but police officers, firefighters, and other community workers from buying a home in the cities they serve. Read more about Michigan's affordable housing crisis in the first edition of our print newsletter, Suburban Hubbub, arriving in mid-September. >> Back to the Top A Little Help From Our Friends Thank you to the Michigan Municipal League and Naheed Huq from SEMCOG who have been helping us coordinate the Wayne State University Resource Sharing Conference. With their input, we are making progress identifying and planning speakers for the event. Upcoming Events After a long vacation, the RRC Committee will reconvene and return to its regular schedule. As always, anyone who's interested is welcome to join. Don't miss out on the action! Friday, September 16. 8:00-10:00 a.m. Council Chamber at Ferndale City Hall There are two upcoming Resource Sharing Steering Committees meetings. Both promise to be popular, so get there early to take advantage of complimentary coffee and bagels. Contact Brittany if you have any questions. Topic: Insurance Wednesday, Sept. 21 8:00 a.m. Council Chamber at Ferndale City Hall Topic: Community Development Block Grants Wednesday, Oct. 5 8:00 a.m. Council Chambers at Ferndale City Hall "Creating Collaborative Communities" This two day conference on municipal collaboration and resource sharing, hosted by Wayne State University and the Suburbs Alliance with the support of MSU, U of M and SEMCOG, is scheduled for October 31 and November 1. The first day, "Understanding Social Networks, Cooperation and Metropolitan Governance," has an academic focus and brings in 13 local and national academic experts to discuss the latest research and trends in collaboration. Day two, titled "Building Inter-local Cooperation," focuses on practical application and brings together local government officials, state policymakers, community leaders, and academics for interactive workshops on a variety of issues associated with resource sharing. We will provide you will all of the conference details as soon as they become finalized. impact2005 Evidencing the growing importance of regionalism, the annual Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce conference on economic development is expanding its focus to Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties this year. Business leaders, elected officials, community leaders, and public and nonprofit professionals from around southeast Michigan will discuss strategies for attracting and retaining business in the region. Among the guest speakers are Jim Epolito, President and CEO of MEDC, and Robert A. Ficano, CEO of Wayne County. For more information or to register click here. Wednesday, September 14 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 19th Annual University of Michigan Urban Land Institute Forum The topic of this year's two day forum is "Detroit Beyond the Super Bowl" and it promises to be an event full of interesting conversations on a number of issues - from development to politics to the environment. Keynote speakers for this years event are Samuel Logan, publisher of The Michigan Chronicle and Michigan FrontPage and Chris Leinberger, Director of the Graduate Real Estate Development Program at the University of Michigan. Our own Conan Smith will also be a speaker, leading a roundtable discussion on Redevelopment Ready Communities. For more information or to register click here Wednesday, October 19 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, Detroit Thursday, October 20 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Michigan League, Ann Arbor Van Dyke-8 Mile Gateway Collaborative Public Meeting Thursday, September 24 6:30 p.m. St. John Northeast Campus at Outer Dr. & Van Dyke SEMCOG Public Meeting on Mass Transit SEMCOG is holding a public meeting to discuss its study of mass transit between Ann Arbor and Detroit. You will not want to miss this discussion on one of the most heated issues in the metro Detroit. The meeting will be held in rooms 103-123 of the Morris Lawrence Building at Washtenaw Community College. Wednesday, September 21 4:00-8:00 p.m. Rooms 103-123 Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College 4800 E. Huron River Rd. Ann Arbor >> Back to the Top