Oakland County

A sign for SMART Bus on a pole.

Suburban Detroit Achieves Long-Awaited Bus Service Expansion

Novi and Bloomfield Hills in Southeast Michigan will have transit service for the first time in 28 years.

September 13, 2023 - The Oakland Press

Leadership Change Could Lead to Changes in Suburban Oakland County, Michigan

The suburban status quo is due for an update in Michigan's wealthiest county, and a new county executive is ready to lead the county in a new direction.

December 26, 2019 - CityLab

Fracking

Michigan Gov. Whitmer Proposes 45-Cent Gas Tax Hike in First Budget

Gretchen Whitmer has outdone the new Democratic governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, who proposed a 20 cents tax hike. Like Walz's budget, gas tax revenue would replace some general funds directed to road spending, thus benefiting other state programs.

March 21, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Wayne County Main Street

Keeping Downtown Main Streets Full

Oakland County, Michigan has announced an initiative to attract and retain retail businesses.

September 25, 2018 - Crain's Detroit Business

SMART Bus

SMART Recount Called Off; Opponents Concede

The saga of the voter-approved Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation millage appears to have reached a conclusion that will allow bus service to continue in Macomb County, Michigan.

August 31, 2018 - The Detroit Free Press

SMART Bus

Opponents Push for Recount of Transit Tax Vote in Suburban Michigan

The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance is seeking a recount of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) millage that passed by only 39 votes in the August 7 primary.

August 23, 2018 - The Detroit Free Press

Detroit People Mover

Regional Transit in Detroit: An Idea Whose Time Has Not Yet Come

Transit supporters in the Detroit region suffered a setback last week, but the hope is that they've only lost a battle, not the war, for regional transit.

July 24, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Rescue Bus

Metro Detroit's Millage Tax Comes Within Half a Percentage Point of Passing

A $4.6 billion transit plan proposed by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan received 49.5 percent of the vote on November 8. The millage tax would have funded bus rapid transit and regional rail within a four-county region.

November 17, 2016 - Ann Arbor News

Detroit's Failed Regional Transit Plan Strikes a Blow to the City's Revival

Voters in the Detroit region had a chance to reverse 40 years of neglect for regional transit. Instead, they kicked the can down the road.

November 11, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Ann Arbor

Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Plan Back From the Dead

The board of the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority found a compromise and managed to get a regional transit plan onto the ballot for voters to consider in November.

August 4, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit Motor Bus

A Call to Action After Detroit Suburbs Kill Regional Transportation Plan

A $4.7 billion regional transportation plan died at the hands of suburban interests around Detroit last week. An op-ed describes the action as the same kind of racial disharmony that defined the mid- and late-20 century.

August 3, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Michigan DOT Set to Launch $1 Billion Highway Widening Project

The Michigan Department of Transportation will start a $1 billion, 14-year construction project later this year, on I-75, north of Detroit. Some community members are still wondering if the project is necessary.

February 25, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Awarding the Best Government Websites

Looking for the best examples of municipal websites? Look no further.

October 9, 2014 - Government Technology

Detroit Bankruptcy Breakthrough: Regional Water Authority Moves Forward

One of the most politically treacherous proposals of Detroit's bankruptcy plan has finally gained approval—a regional water authority.

September 10, 2014 - The Detroit News

Floods Create Trash Collection Stink in Oakland County

Recent heavy rains in Oakland County, north of Detroit, have required the local waste authority to make temporary arrangements for sewage-soaked trash. Residents are not happy.

August 24, 2014 - Detroit Free Press

Regional Water Authority DOA in Detroit

One of the unanswered questions of Detroit’s post-bankruptcy future is what will happen with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, especially after negotiations to create a regional authority ended in failure this week.

April 16, 2014 - Detroit Free Press

Making the Case for Sprawl

Christopher Mims reports on L. Brooks Patterson, county executive of Oakland County, Michigan, who is perhaps the country's most vocal advocate of sprawl.

February 17, 2012 - Grist

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.