We kicked off the first Prosperity Agenda radio show at News/Talk 760 WJR in January 2010, and we’ve seen placemaking come a long way since then. We know the importance of creating places where people want to live, work and enjoy, enabling people to build communities they love. The Michigan Municipal League has been instrumental in helping Michigan communities become engaged in placemaking, working with many partners over the years.

On this month’s radio show, we’re bringing together state and international experts in placemaking who have worked with us at the League and used their ideas to turn around cities such as Detroit.

It’s an ongoing project, and there is always another community that can benefit from placemaking. So there is a lot to talk about. My co-host for this month’s show is Natalie Burg, writer and owner of Vail Half Full Communications in Ann Arbor. Our guests are placemaking author Peter Kageyama; Fred Kent, founder and president of Project for Public Spaces; and placemaking innovator Josh McManus, of Rock Ventures.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The show airs 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

For several years now the Prosperity Agenda radio show has discussed the importance of creating places where people want to live, work and enjoy. It’s a concept called placemaking or simply put – building communities that you love and never want to leave.

Inspiring and helping communities reach their potential and capitalize on their existing placemaking assets is a large part of what we do at the Michigan Municipal League.

To be frank, placemaking costs money. However, there’s a significant economic development argument about the advantages to placemaking. In other words, today’s communities of all shapes and sizes can’t afford not to create vibrant places.

On this most recent radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR we talk about the economic benefits to placemaking, the financial challenges facing Michigan’s communities and some proposed solutions.

My co-host for the show is Mike Wilkinson, who has covered this topic as computer-assisting reporting specialist for Bridge Magazine (Bridgemi.com). Our guests are Shanna Draheim of Public Sector Consults; my colleague Anthony Minghine, associate executive director and COO for the League; and Hazel Park City Manager and MML Board Member Ed Klobucher.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The show airs May 25, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

Since the inception of the Prosperity Agenda radio show about five years ago, we’ve been talking about placemaking here in Michigan and the importance of creating communities that you love. Sometimes we can view this work in a vacuum but in truth placemaking is part of a much larger, global movement.

This international placemaking revolution will be put on display right here in Detroit in June when the 24th annual Congress for the New Urbanism comes to Michigan for the first time - ever. CNU 24, as it’s affectionately called, will bring to our city upward of 2,000 planners, architects, designers and community leaders from around the Globe. It will put Detroit in the national spotlight, but it’s also a highly interactive event. We here in Michigan hope to learn as much as those who come to Michigan for the Congress.

You could call CNU 24 a conference, but it’s really much more than that.

On this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR we talk to some of those involved in CNU 24 and why it’s so important to Michigan.

My co-host for the show is Crystal Proxmire, publisher, editor and reporter of Oakland 115. Our guests are CNU CEO and President Lynn Richards, CNU Board Chairman Doug Farr, and Birmingham Mayor Pro Tem and CNU 24 Host Co-Chair Mark Nickita.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The show airs April 27, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

We often talk about the importance of having great communities in our state. Communities can and should be the economic drivers of Michigan. A strong community encourages innovation and attracts residents, visitors, businesses and jobs. But every community is only as good as its people.

It takes people to make decisions and choices that make communities great. Sometimes these are not easy or even popular decisions. This takes leadership.

On this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR we talk to some of those leaders and key people working to make Michigan’s communities great. Some of them were recently honored in Lansing as more than 400 local leaders from throughout the state went to the state’s capital for the Michigan Municipal League’s annual legislative conference (March 22-23, 2016).

My co-host for this show is the Kevin Elsenheimer, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which is also co-sponsor of our show. Our guests are Dearborn Mayor and Michigan Municipal League President Jack O’Reilly; Grand Rapids Mayor and Michigan Municipal League Vice President Rosalynn Bliss; former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell; Marja Winters Farrow, of Benton Harbor and Detroit; and Ypsilanti Mayor Pro Tem Lois Allen Richardson.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The show aired March 23, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

When it comes to creating 21st century communities, we often know what a successful community looks like, but communities can face many hurdles to creating the actual places they want to be, whether those challenges are financial or the result of poor public policy.

On this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR we’re discussing some of those hurdles and what can be done to eliminate them so Michigan residents and visitors can enjoy communities that are unique and interesting places to live. Cities are striving to embrace the amenities residents want today, whether that’s walkability, better schools, arts and culture programs, good access to high-speed Internet, or an openness to entrepreneurs.

My co-host for this show is the Michigan Municipal League’s Luke Forrest, program manager and placemaking expert. We are joined by Robert Kleine, partner with Great Lakes Economic Consulting and former Michigan treasurer; Steve Maun, a developer working in Detroit on the Wurlitzer Hotel development; Fenton Mayor Sue Osborn and Fenton City Manager Lynn Markland.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

It seemed that winter weather took forever to get to Michigan this year, but now that January is here, we’re back to the usual snow and cold temperatures. For some people that’s bad news, but many hearty Michigan residents are happy to be out skiing, sledding, ice fishing, snowmobiling, ice skating and otherwise enjoying the season that turns Michigan into a winter wonderland. My co-host for this month’s show is John “Gonzo” Gonzalez, statewide entertainment, travel, beer & food writer for MLive.com. Our guests are Michelle Grinnell from Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Jamie Furbush from the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau and Nancy Krupiarz, executive director for Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

Michigan is fortunate to have a network of strong public and private universities. This month, we’re talking about the role that colleges and universities play in improving residents’ health care, food choices, and access to information, education and job training. It’s a responsibility that colleges and universities are taking on willingly, both as a way to help our cities and as a way to improve town-gown relationships. My co-host for this month’s show is Detroit Free Press higher education reporter David Jesse. Our guests are Jeff Mason from Michigan’s University Research Corridor, Scott MacInnes from the Michigan Municipal League, and Ned Staebler, vice president of economic development for Wayne State University.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the League’s placemaking work here on this blog.

America is a country with people from many different backgrounds and cultures, all living in one sometimes messy democracy. How cities approach their mix of residents can have major repercussions, especially when the issues involve race relations and religious differences.  On the most recent Prosperity Agenda radio show, we talk to several people involved in finding ways to make diversity work for our urban areas and statewide. We’ll hear from guest co-host and Detroit News columnist, Bankole Thompson, Christine Sauvé from the Welcoming Michigan Project, James Butler from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, and manager of Buena Vista Charter Township, Dexter Mitchell.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the PlacePlans program here as well as on this blog.

Walking in many cities means using sidewalks to get to the mailbox or corner store, but only after crossing numerous streets and dodging inattentive motorists. Riding a bike on crowded roads can be unsafe and nerve-wracking.

It’s a lot different living in a truly walkable city designed to provide a safe way to get around for everyone. Projects such as Living Streets encourage multiple modes of transportation, whether that’s driving a car, riding a bike, taking a bus or walking. They build community by bringing people together and helping shape an area’s identity into one that’s people-friendly, no matter how residents, workers and visitors are getting around. On the most recent Prosperity Agenda radio show we talk to several people involved in walkable cities projects and find out more about how they’re making our cities more attractive and bike- and pedestrian-friendly.  Our guests are international walkability guru Dan Burden, director of innovation and inspiration for Blue Zones; Mary Beth Graebert of Michigan State University; and Rebekah Kik of the city of Kalamazoo. My co-host for the show is Michael Jackman, managing editor of the Metro Times in Detroit.

The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the PlacePlans program here as well as on this blog.

Placemaking is a dynamic, strategic approach to community development and economic revitalization. Based on an individual community’s strengths, it capitalizes on the distinctive aspects of a community and creates a variety of uses that bring people and places together. Through its PlacePlans program, the Michigan Municipal League is helping cities take steps to improve placemaking. By the end of 2015, 22 cities will have participated in the PlacePlans program and gained a detailed roadmap to transforming one or more key properties in their downtown so they can become communities that offer the amenities, resources, social and professional networks and opportunities to support thriving lifestyles. Already, the contributions to PlacePlans by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Michigan State University and MML have catalyzed $2.2 million in project investment with $178 million in progress. On this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show, we talk to the people who are involved in the PlacePlans program and how they’re making our cities more attractive and livable. This month’s guests include Luke Forrest, program manager for the League; Paul Barbeau, who is active in PlacePlans work in Midland through his position as Michigan Baseball Foundation vice president and as executive director of the related Momentum Midland efforts; Marja Winters, assistant city manager and director of community and economic development in Benton Harbor; and co-host Christine Ferretti, reporter for The Detroit News. The Michigan Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It has aired on News/Talk 760 WJR since 2010. The hour-long radio program is hosted by me, Dan Gilmartin, CEO of the League. The show is sponsored by the League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The League’s next show airs at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015, on News/Talk 760 WJR, but you can listen anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the PlacePlans program here as well as on this blog.