Commercial corridors offer a wealth of benefits to communities with jobs, tax revenue, housing options, and access to vital services such as retail shopping, re ... more

Commercial corridors offer a wealth of benefits to communities with jobs, tax revenue, housing options, and access to vital services such as retail shopping, restaurants, banks, and other professional services. Explore steps Traverse City took to devise a redevelopment framework plan and an incentive package to transform five tired, underperforming commercial strips into promising economic hot beds for the community. Learn how the local market conditions were tested for a new mix of business and housing opportunities and how value was added through the community design process.

Instructors:

John Houseal AICP

Russell Soyring AICP

Devin Lavigne AICP

The master plan update began with the question: “How does White Lake Township become a truly sustainable community?” The answer evolved to incorporate placemak ... more

The master plan update began with the question: “How does White Lake Township become a truly sustainable community?” The answer evolved to incorporate placemaking and the three elements of sustainability (community, environment, and economy) into the master plan. The resulting highly visual plan is being shared with prospective development and redevelopment professionals as well as the public. Learn what implementation strategies establish a well developed game plan for moving forward.

Instructors:

Dave Birchler AICP

Sean O’Neil AICP

Historic preservation in America began in an effort to save individual monuments and evolved into a movement which now plays a much larger role in American town ... more

Historic preservation in America began in an effort to save individual monuments and evolved into a movement which now plays a much larger role in American towns and cities. Recognized as a driver of economic development, a foundation of community character, and a reminder of who we are and where we came from, preservation is a key element of placemaking. Recent research provides important lessons for Michigan communities – local economic development and “rightsizing.” PlaceEconomics recently completed analyses in both areas for the independent federal agency the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The results of these studies and other recent research, and what it means for community planning, will be the focus of this presentation.

Instructors:

Donovan Rypkema,

Adaptation planning helps communities prepare for the impacts of climate change. But how can planners get the location-specific information they need to increas ... more

Adaptation planning helps communities prepare for the impacts of climate change. But how can planners get the location-specific information they need to increase their own community's resilience? This session summarizes past and projected impacts of climate change in Michigan, and also provides recommendations for incorporating climate adaptation into planning processes.

Instructors:

Laura Holladay

Hailed by the National League of Cities as a best practice for supporting entrepreneurship, Economic Gardening has become a mainstay of the new tools advanced b ... more

Hailed by the National League of Cities as a best practice for supporting entrepreneurship, Economic Gardening has become a mainstay of the new tools advanced by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), and local governments. A heightened recognition among planning and economic development professionals about the value each discipline can bring to bear on community prosperity results in integrated efforts that become powerhouse solutions to local economies. Learn about Michigan's first statewide economic gardening pilot program and the role of other key stakeholders.

Instructors:

Rob Fowler

Enjoy a bus ride on the Old Mission Heritage Route while visiting a remote wine tasting room, a modern farm processing facility, hop fields, vineyards, and visi ... more

Enjoy a bus ride on the Old Mission Heritage Route while visiting a remote wine tasting room, a modern farm processing facility, hop fields, vineyards, and visit a historic structure’s renovation into a brewery/distillery. Find out how Peninsula Township has embraced economic gardening within its agricultural community and learn how to preserve your community's viewsheds using MDOT's Heritage Route Program.

Instructors:

Daniel Leonard

Discover how two of Michigan’s major metropolitan areas - Grand Rapids and Lansing - are using transit to address not only accessibility issues, but also to adv ... more

Discover how two of Michigan’s major metropolitan areas - Grand Rapids and Lansing - are using transit to address not only accessibility issues, but also to advance placemaking and economic development. Understand the underlying principles for effective transit solutions, public engagement and tools to implement transit-oriented development.

Instructors:

Brad Strader AICP

Suzanne Schultz AICP

In a growing number of communities, every project is supposed to have a Facebook page; every department should have a Twitter account. While using these social ... more

In a growing number of communities, every project is supposed to have a Facebook page; every department should have a Twitter account. While using these social media platforms is a good way of creating a base and engaging with users, knowing how to use additional technology and visualization tools correctly and in the right combination makes for a successful public engagement campaign.

Instructors:

Ben Carlisle AICP

Due Process 101: How To Avoid Those Pesky Little Mistakes | 1.5 AICP CM ETHICS Most successful challenges to land use decisions are not based on the substance ... more

Due Process 101: How To Avoid Those Pesky Little Mistakes | 1.5 AICP CM ETHICS Most successful challenges to land use decisions are not based on the substance and merits of the decision, but careless mistakes made in managing the process. With a humorous, and all-too-typical script, you will act out a night at a hearing and be challenged to identify the 50+ mistakes made by our hapless commissioners. This session meets the AICP CM requirement for ethics credits.

Instructors:

Dwight Merriam

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is changing the way we do business in Michigan, from the recent acquisition of the Redevelopment Ready Comm ... more

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is changing the way we do business in Michigan, from the recent acquisition of the Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program to a shift from traditional incentive programs to the more localized economic gardening approach, MEDC gets talent and what it takes to attract and keep it. This session will explain MEDC's tools, resources, and programs to help local government economic development.

Instructors:

Katharine Czarnecki