Hot new 'old style' neighborhoods protect northwestern Michigan's beauty and prosperity.
A special report by the Michigan Land Use Institute, "Going to Town: New Urbanism Arrives in Northwest Michigan", documents newfound interest among the area's developers and government officials. The report -- the subject of four community meetings in northwest Michigan over the next four weeks -- found that rising gas prices, escalating traffic congestion, and a rapidly growing population both wary of and eager for a healthier lifestyle, are fueling that interest.
Today traditional-style neighborhood or town center developments are being planned, are already rising, or are now full of satisfied residents not only in larger towns such as Traverse City, Manistee, and Petoskey, but also in villages like Empire and Harbor Springs, and even rural townships like Acme. Some are "infill" projects, built on old brownfield sites; others extend a town's existing neighborhood street grids; still others transform greenfields into bustling new centers of commercial, public, and home life.
All of them draw on a new vision for building neighborhoods and downtowns called New Urbanism. Whether this trend again dominates housing patterns in northwest Michigan -- after decades of suburbanization that many longtime residents find worrisome -- depends on whether more newcomers can be convinced that their vision of living out in the countryside can become instead one of living in a town where the countryside is close by, gorgeous, and carefully preserved.
Thanks to Keith Schneider
FULL STORY: Going To Town

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions