Michigan

The High Cost of 'Motorcycle Freedom'
Michigan's mandatory motorcycle helmet law was repealed in April 2012. It only took a week for Dr. Carlos Rodriguez to notice an increase in patients not wearing a motorcycle helmet in his trauma unit in Grand Rapids, so he launched a study.
Detroit Bus Drivers Union in Dispute Over Regional Transit Expansion
Detroit Department of Transportation drivers are mobilizing against a plan to expand regional service on the SMART system. Supporters say the proposed changes are for the benefit of commuters.
What Downtown Development Means for Detroit
A preliminary picture of the new Detroit is coming into focus, while much of the city still struggles with vacancies and blight and downtown anticipates a wave of development and new residents.
Utah's New Years Day Surprise: Nickel Gas and Diesel Tax Increase
The fuel tax increases in the Beehive State by 4.9 cents on Friday. But don't count on gas prices increasing. Not only are prices dropping due to plummeting crude oil prices, but service station owners may be reluctant to pass on the increase.
Detroit Redevelopment Boom Expected for 2016
An in-depth look at some of the high-profile properties slated for redevelopment in Detroit in 2016 provides inspiration for some of the properties that still need solutions.

Detroit First U.S. City Awarded U.N's 'City of Design' Status
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has recognized the singularity of Detroit, dubbing the motor city the country's first "City of Design."

Detroit's Getting Better, Say Detroiters
According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by the Detroit Free Press, residents have regained some optimism about their city and its management. Sixty-nine percent said Detroit is headed in the right direction.
State of Emergency Declared in Flint Water Crisis
A crisis that stretches back for several months escalated this week, bringing this news of the very bad variety to national attention.

Seattle as the 'Next Detroit'
As the automotive industry of Detroit once inherited the wealth and assets of Pittsburgh's steel industry, one writer argues Seattle has now inherited the wealth and assets of the Silicon Valley.
Coming Soon to Detroit: An Urban Livestock Ordinance
Planners and citizens in Detroit are wrapping up a year's worth of research and community engagement before drafting an urban livestock ordinance.
Report: Detroit's Property Tax System in Need of Major Overhaul
Detroit's comeback has been well documented, as has its efforts to remove blight and demolish vacant properties. A new report sheds light on another of the city's deepest challenges: how to reform property taxes to achieve fiscal certainty.

Detroit Receives Funding for Another Demolition Push
A recent influx of money to Detroit for demolitions of abandoned properties brings the city's total to $107 million. That money has established Detroit as the country's proving ground for the idea that demolitions stabilize struggling neighborhoods.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to Sign 7.3-cent Gas Tax Hike Today
After years of debate, Republicans from both chambers agreed to a transportation plan raising the gas tax 7.3-cents and registration fees by 20 percent, effective 2017. Democrats objected to the amount of general funds that will be directed to roads.

12 Maps to Explain the Midwest
Aaron Renn scours the Internet to find 12 maps that attempt to do the impossible: define the geographic and cultural expanse known as the American Midwest.

The Motown Sound Came From Single-Family Homes
Would the Motor City have produced Motown without pianos in every living room?
New Releases: A Field Guide for Transforming Vacant Lots
Detroit Future City has released a guidebook for the process of redeveloping, renovating, and remediating neighborhoods full of vacant and blighted properties.
When a Summer Resort Town Finds Year-Round Success
Northern Michigan's "premier summer resort town" finds itself embroiled in a heated development controversy, reflecting that town's changing population.
Ambitious Complete Streets Plan Proposed for Woodward Ave Between Detroit and Pontiac
The Woodward Avenue Action Association recently approved a plan for a complete streets makeover that would connect to the forthcoming M-1 streetcar and cross several city boundaries.

25 Coal Power Plants to Shutter in Michigan in Five Years
Credit EPA emission regulations for the decisions by utilities to close the aging plants. Michigan receives half its power from coal—the most polluting fossil fuel. The new Clean Power Plan rule will cause more remaining plants to close in time.

Innovation in Detroit Turns to the Worm
Faced with an estimated 24 square miles of vacant land, Detroit is turning its empty lots into test beds of urban innovation.
Pagination
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.
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada