Michigan
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton Proposes Gas Tax
The tax would be a wholesale tax paid by fuel suppliers as has become more common in the last two years, not a retail tax at the gas pump. The Democratic governor's main problem may be his timing—the house flipped to Republican control.
Michigan Voters to Decide on Transportation Sales Tax
The Michigan legislature compromised on a plan to raise money for state transportation funding. Instead of increasing the fuel tax, voters will consider an increased sales tax that exempts the fuel tax.
60 Years of Midwestern Urban Renewal
Researchers at the Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma prepared a set of images to show the indelible impact of mid-20th century urban renewal on Midwestern cities.
Redevelopment Plans Finalized for Site of Detroit's Defunct Tiger Stadium
Tiger Stadium was demolished in 2008 after a failed bid to preserve the historic ballpark. Recently, however, a new mixed use development, including a baseball diamond for youth sports programs, was approved to take its place.
Republican Governors, Encouraged by Low Gas Prices, to Raise Gas Taxes
While there may never be a good time to increase the federal gas tax, the same is not true when it comes to state gas taxes—perhaps because governors can't transfer billions of dollars from general funds to pay for roads. Lower gas prices helps.
The End of the Era of Cheap Water
In many places around the country, the price of water is increasing, quickly. While the reasons for the increase vary depending on the location, common to the issue is the ability of planning to either help or hinder the problem.
Detroit's Latest Power Outage: The Dark Before the Dawn?
Earlier this week a massive power outage struck Detroit. But that type of embarrassment might soon be a thing of the past because Detroit will soon undertake a $200 million upgrade of its electricity grid.
Eight 'PlacePlans' for Michigan Cities
The PlacePlans project—led by the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction—recently released plans for placemaking efforts in eight Michigan communities.
Report Details Best Practices for Land Banks
A recent report collects data from the experience of cities using land banks as a method for addressing vacant and blighted properties.
Michigan May Drop Fuel Excise Tax for Wholesale Sales Tax
The Republican-controlled Michigan State Senate voted November 13 to increase the state's 19-cents per gallon fuel tax by converting it to a wholesale fuel sales tax, resulting in an anticipated $1.2 billion annual revenue increase.
Explained: Vacancies, Population Decline, and the Importance of Household Size
Jason Segedy has published a long, brutally frank look at blight and vacant properties, especially at the underappreciated culprit for the woes of so many shrinking cities around the Rust Belt: household decline.
Detroit's Bankruptcy Exit Plan Approved
Federal judge Steven Rhodes approved Detroit’s plan to shed $7 billion of the total $18 billion debt.
Nothing to See Here: Detroit's Blockbuster Blight Bid Falls Through
Anna Clark has the scoop about the latest wrinkle in the blockbuster Detroit blight auction: the surprise, mysterious bid for 6,000 parcels if off the table.
How Grand Rapids Became a Transit Success
Rachel Dovey shares some of the secrets to the success of Grand Rapids, Michigan after a year of transit improvements in the small city.
Tolls vs Taxes and the State of the American Highway
Making up only seven percent of U.S. interstate miles, the future of toll roads is bright according to Brooking's Robert Puentes and Diane Rehm's other guests in a 52-minute, wide ranging discussion on gas taxes, toll roads, and privatization.
Massive Detroit Foreclosures Push Out Black Homeowners
A Detroit reborn sounds great, but what if the residents of “blighted” areas don’t want to leave? Many feel they have no choice in a process that has been compared to racial relocation. Meanwhile, activists scramble to give residents options.
Can Billionaires Revitalize Decayed Downtowns?
Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has an urbanist streak. And only people with his kind of money can singlehandedly buy out big chunks of downtown Detroit. But will his approach to neighborhood-making actually benefit the city as a whole?
Awarding the Best Government Websites
Looking for the best examples of municipal websites? Look no further.
Can Detroit's Comeback Benefit Everyone?
Suzette Hackney, a former Detroit Free Press journalist, expresses her concern about who is getting left out of Detroit's comeback story.
A Day at the Beach in Downtown Detroit
Inspired by the Paris Plages temporary urban beach along the Seine, a temporary beach in a park in Downtown Detroit is inspiring the Motor City to rethink its public spaces.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
