Volume 2 Number 4: September 2006
 

Hip and happening 9 Mile in Ferndale

Message from the Executive Director

 

Commuter Sentence: FERA and Loathing in the Suburbs

Name one thing slicker than a politician with a $70 barrel of oil.  As the war in Iraq, hurricanes in the Gulf, corroded pipes at Prudhoe Bay, and threats of worker strikes in Nigeria keep the price of gas oscillating between painful and unbearable, Michigan commuters are looking to policy makers for new solutions.  Have you heard this one?  We’ll build more fuel-efficient cars.  Or, we’ll set up more carpools.  If I even mention transit, most of you will just laugh.  Well, continued hesitance to address our transportation dilemma is digging yet another hole for suburban residents.  And thus, suburban leaders.  As Marilyn Lewis from msn.com reported last month, gas prices are having a surprising effect on homebuyers, 45 percent of whom now rate rising fuel prices as a “very important” factor in deciding where to live.  Finish reading

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Project Updates

  

It's here!

Our new website is complete!  Visit www.michigansuburbsalliance.org to check it out – and don't miss the new features like our Reports page, publications archives, and make a donation section.  Drop us a line to tell us what you think!

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Become a Suburbs Alliance Member

We know you've been waiting...here's your chance! Now everyone – corporations, nonprofits, individuals, and other local governments – can join the effort to strengthen and unite metro Detroit's mature suburbs and the southeast Michigan region.  Find out why you should join today!

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WANTED: DRIVEN, CREATIVE STUDENTS

Ok, there's no reward for finding them besides our eternal gratitude, but isn't that reason enough to spread the word?  We have 2 internships available for the 2006-2007 school year, so if you know a college student with a knockout set of skills, send 'em our way! Read about our internships here.

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UniverCities Connection
Member cities: infuse some excitement into your development strategy by hosting a classroom project!  The UniverCities Connection program is launching into its second season of classroom projects, you could benefit from the fresh insight of southeast Michigan's future professionals.  Contact Brittany Galisdorfer or Professor Gary Sands if you're interested, and act quickly – there may not be enough students to go around!

 

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In the News

  

Get the lowdown on transit alternatives for the Ann Arbor-Detroit line in "Rail is Right," Keith Schneider's review of SEMCOG's analysis posted last month.  For a taste of what's ahead, read up on Michigan's Golden Spike, an MSA-MEC-TEDC joint initiative to stimulate transit-oriented development in the communities along the route.

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Find out how land use regulations are shaping the character, development and composition of communities nation-wide in The Brookings Institution's latest report, From Traditional to Reformed: A Review of Land Use Regulations in the Nation's 50 Largest Metropolitan Regions.

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When gas prices again begin to soar, don't despair – it could be good news for our cities. Some researchers are predicting that the high price of gas will drive people and businesses to inner-ring suburbs and central cities and stimulate infill development. Read what they're saying in "Could rising gas prices kill the suburbs?" 

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Hats off to 2 Suburbs Alliance staffers this month!

 

Associate Director and M.U.P. candidate Melanie Brown was awarded the Sue Marx Smock Endowed Graduate Fellowship Award for Research Pertaining to Urban and Labor Issues by Wayne State University's Department of Geography and Urban Planning for her stellar work at the Suburbs Alliance.  Cooper Holoweski, Program Coordinator and in-house artist, wowed the Finnish press with a video installation project he produced during his 2-month residency.  Brush up on your Finnish and catch the article here.   Aren't we lucky to have these guys?

 

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Upcoming Events

  
Build Greenly
Learn how sustainable development can help cities save money and conserve energy at Oakland County's Green Building Workshop.  Sessions will address state and federal programs available to local governments and businesses, the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program, efforts to encourage green development in local communities, and business leaders who are organizing regional sustainable development efforts.  Register today!
 
Thursday, September 7, 2006. 12:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Commissioners' Auditorium
1200 Telegraph Rd. Pontiac
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Keeping it Fresh
Learn about how local governments can protect Michigan's most valuable natural resource, our water, at one of the Michigan Association of Planning's Filling the Gaps workshops this month.  Check the MAP website for workshop dates and locations.
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Innovation Michigan
Find out who in southeast Michigan is taking innovation to new levels. This conference, presented by the Oakland and Ann Arbor Business Review, will recognize organizations – past and present – that have produced results through innovation and provide tools sure to spark creativity in others. Get inspired here.
 
Wednesday, October 4, 2006.  3:00 - 6:30 p.m.
The Henry Ford Greenfield Village, Pavilion
Dearborn

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Brownfield Blowout

Developers and real estate professionals, listen up! Learn the ins and outs of brownfield development at Using EPA Funds to Finance Real Estate Development, a workshop sponsored by the Downriver Community Conference, Downriver Area Brownfield Consortium, and Wayne County Economic Development Revolving Loan grant recipients.  Sign up at www.dccwf.org/events. 

 

Friday, October 20, 2006.  7:30 - 11:00 a.m.

Dearborn Performing Arts Center on Michigan Ave.

Event ID: EPA2006

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Mmmm...Politics

The debut Mayors and Managers Breakfast is approaching! We are planning a morning for our member city administrators and select Citizen Advocates and Corporate Partners to hear from an exciting guest speaker, discuss a pertinent policy issue, and (if they're daring) experience the culinary talents of the Suburbs Alliance staff.  This event promises to be delicious, so don't miss it – become a member today!

 

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