Center for 21st Century Communities June 29, 2010   The Center for 21st Century Communities’ (21c3) “eight assets” that make cities and towns attractive places to live and work have been included among the “core values” of the City of Saline, Michigan’s 2010-2011 Strategic Plan for city governance! This means that the ideas, goals, and solutions presented on this website are really starting to have a tangible impact on communities that are looking for ways to become more vibrant places in the 21st Century. READ MORE.

Center for 21st Century Communities June 27, 2010   Holland, Michigan is finding itself at the forefront of the trend towards powering automobiles with renewable energy. The state has approved a 15-year Renewable Energy Renaissance Zone in Holland, which is credited with helping to seal the deal for LG Chem-Compact Power Inc. to open a new lithium-ion battery cell factory in town. READ MORE

Before it gets buried in the archives of the interwebs, I want to re-present an article from March that I wrote about America's WWII "Ghost Army" for annarbor.com not too many moons ago. I was fascinated learning about this piece of U.S. history, which few people seem to know about (some of their families and friends didn't know for decades). READ MORE

Center For 21st Century Communities June 22, 2010   ...Ann Arbor's Restaurant Week is about more than just giving people a reason to dine out on the town. It aims to support downtown's local economy, by encouraging people to frequent downtown dining establishments, shop at nearby businesses, and find new favorite places. READ MORE.

annarbor.com June 22, 2010   As the sun set on Father's Day, a large crowd of people spread themselves around Ingalls Mall to watch "Star Trek," the first of 13 late night outdoor movies playing at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's free Top of the Park music and movies series. READ MORE.

Center for 21st Century Communities June 17, 2010   "It's even more apparent now than before, what made Michigan prosperous in the past is no longer our path to prosperity," according to Michigan Future Inc. president Lou Glazer, as reported by the Detroit News. The Ann Arbor-based think tank recently released its third annual process report on Michigan’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. READ MORE.

Center for 21st Century Communities (21c3) June 15, 2010   ...it wasn’t uncommon to wake up in the morning and find that your bike had mysteriously disappeared overnight. It was disconcerting, but chances were that it was not lost and gone forever. It was probably just left somewhere on the other end of Middle Path by a sleepy student who didn’t feel like walking the mile home after studying (or partying) until 3 o’clock in the morning. READ MORE

annarbor.com June 12, 2010   The first edition of SculptureWalk Chelsea has concluded, and the effort has swapped out its initial round of 10 large public sculptures to make room for 10 new ones. The new temporary landmarks will be on display at locations throughout downtown Chelsea for a year. READ MORE

 

Ann Arbor Observer, June 2010   "We had never seen this kind of economic meltdown that the state of Michigan was faced with," says Robb Woulfe, executive director of the four-week festival. Ticket sales for the Mainstage series dropped $250,000 last year, to $600,000, and corporate and foundation funding took a $100,000 hit. Yet traffic at the free Top of the Park (TOP) hit 3,000 people on busy nights, double the number five years ago.READ MORE

annarbor.com June 2nd, 2010   Ann Arbor artist Alvey Jones got into drawing and building model airplanes as a youth. He went on to have a long career in commercial illustration and design while simultaneously creating and exhibiting fine artworks along the way. Now, as a retiree from the design world, Jones is a full-time professional fine artist and a member of the WSG Gallery. READ MORE

annarbor.com May 27, 2010   For the last year, Mended Pieces Mosaics has been located in downtown Ann Arbor, at the corner of 4th and Huron. However, Tricia Huffman recently decided to move her teaching studio back out to her farm near Michigan and Platt in Pittsfield Township. READ MORE

The Review May / June 2010   Walker-friendly terms like “traffic calming,” “pedestrian islands” and “roundabouts” have been part of the vocabulary in Brighton for years. Since the 1990s, leaders in this Livingston County community have been committed to making the city walkable and accessible. READ MORE

The Review May / June 2010  Marquette formerly took a traditional, use-based approach to zoning its waterfront community. However, since the city participated in an EPA-Smart Growth pilot program in 2006, City Planner and Zoning Administrator Dennis Stachewicz reports that Marquette is benefiting from a transition to form-based code. READ MORE

The Review May / June 2010   A growing initiative to “Complete Streets” nationwide has Michigan thinking about the value of adopting pedestrian and bicycle-friendly policies and improving the infrastructure for non-motorized transportation. READ MORE