Bringing in undergraduate and graduate students from Urban and Regional Planning or related programs from Michigan (and one of Canada's) universities allows for a well-rounded set of presentations. Gain insight into the types of projects you may work on in your career as well as an understanding of the application and use of such projects and the tools by which they can be implemented.
Schedule of Presentations
10:15 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.
DeWindt Community Park
This LEED certified park in the planning stages is my answer to Georgetown Township's need for a renovated Little League field. The Little League board signed a buy/sell with Spartan Stores to sell their 30 acres of green space in 2006 prior to putting it up for a vote within the league membership. After 4 years and some political maneuvering by Spartan and the Little League, the plan was brought before the Township Board of Trustees. Although the Planning Commission voted the Spartan PUD down on this LDR zoned greenspace, the Trustees passed the PUD and rezoning of the property. A community group filed a referendum and I designed a park to accommodate the Little League and serve as a community gathering place for other groups in our Township.
Nicole Geerts, Grand Valley State University
10:50 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Celebrating Community and Diversity on Lansing's Westside: Special Events and Economic Development
In three years time, the annual Westside Summer Fest on Lansing's Westside has grown from 1,000 to 8,000 attendees. This beloved event has become the catalyst for record sales volumes by Westside businesses. Consider the role of special events in positive image building, creating a greater sense of community, and spotlighting local businesses while learning the process for putting on a large-scale event on a limited budget.
Nicole Schippel, Michigan State University
11:30 a.m. - 11:55 a.m.
Community Planning for Food Access
Individuals and families living in impoverished neighborhoods often experience difficulty accessing fresh produce and other nutritious foods. These neighborhoods are characterized by small corner shops and liquor stores, as opposed to full grocery stores. This presentation will provide examples of and how-tos for Michigan programs with these goals; such as farmers markets that accept food stamps, corner stores that offer fruits and vegetables, community and school gardens, as well as solutions for transportation gaps.
Julia Herzog, University of Michigan
12:05 p.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Stabilization of a College Town Neighborhood
The purpose of this thesis is to create a framework that would show the areas that are most unstable within the Vine Neighborhood. Rather than taking a scattered approach to revitalization, the neighborhood could geographically target areas that are the most in need of improvement. By focusing investing on the most unstable sections of the neighborhood could potentially retain homeowners and encourage more to move to the area.
Justin Robinson, Western Michigan University
1:30 p.m. - 1:55 p.m.
Encouraging Reuse of Abandoned Commercial Structures
Of Detroit's 80,000 abandoned buildings, 20% are estimated to be commercial structures. Urban scholars have long documented the notorious effects of these structures - chiefly increases in crime and decreases in tax base and property values. Using Detroit's vacant-building management history, and several case studies as a guide, this presentation will explore some of the most successful practices from cities around the country, and examine how similar programs could be interwoven into Detroit's new land bank.
Robert Linn, University of Michigan
2:05 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Evaluating Michigan's Permissive Regional Planning Legislation
Despite passing multiple pieces of legislation enabling communities to engage in regional land use planning, collaboration remains the exception rather than the norm. This study seeks to evaluate the tools and techniques available to regional planning in Michigan under this legislation; with the goal of understanding the opportunities and challenges facing collaboration, and to provide recommendations for making regional planning a more effective tool in land use planning.
Mark Ferrall, Eastern Michigan University
2:40 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.
Differences in Youth Walkability across Time and Space: Case Studies in the Great Lakes Region
Historical pedestrian-oriented journey to school trends have been changed by the growth of auto-dependent communities and consolidated mega-schools. While these changes in urban form and educational structuring have certain economic benefits, health benefits of active transportation are being lost. This study asks whether we have learned from our past by examining the potential of active journeys to urban schools in comparative and longitudinal analyses. GIS methods are employed to determine various levels of walkability.
Richard Sadler, University of Western Ontario
Don Lafreniere, University of Western Ontario
This page last updated on 12/29/2009.
