Need a new home? Here's 500 abandoned ones all
in the same area by DetroitDerek Photography

Once boasting a population of nearly 2 million, the population of the city of Detroit stands at somewhere between 750,000 and 800,000 residents. Detroit Free Press has a good look at Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's plan to offer incentives next year to concentrate city residents in core areas that will serve as population centers for a newly configured city. It's part of his Detroit Works Project and he says:

"We're going to be encouraging them to move and put themselves in a better situation. ... They are much better off moving into a more dense area so that we can provide them with the services they need: that would be water, sewer, lighting, public safety -- all of that," Bing said. "We think that getting our city to be more dense with its population is the right route."

...City officials say they have identified at least seven to nine population centers that would encompass two-thirds of the city's 139 square miles. That would leave about 45 square miles, though some of that land is already public park space. The availability of strong schools, nonprofits, churches, parks, community development organizations and medical centers -- along with housing stock, income and many other indicators -- will continue to be considered in developing the neighborhood plan, officials say.

Bing says there will be incentives for people to move, but many in the city worry that relocation will not go well. You can read Bing's interview with the Freep and hear what the Mayor is saying about "rightsizing" Detroit below (thanks Rethinking Detroit for the find):

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Seth Bernard by Patrick T Power

Driving Michigan is Absolute Michigan's new show that explores the state of Michigan and the people who are moving us towards the future. It's hosted by Seth Bernard, a musician with a passion for Michigan. The video was shot by Ken Lake of Mythic Michigan.

Our first episode was shot at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City with GTC developer Ray Minervini.

The photo we use of Seth was taken by Patrick T Power - be sure to check it out bigger!

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Michigan Central Station by MikeRyu

On Saturday about 4000 extra people dropped by Michigan in Pictures. The impetus was a New York Times story on Michigan Central Station. Although the Detroit City Council voted to demolish MCS last year, a massive budget hole, a lawsuit, and new council members who aren't quite as bulldozer-happy:

“I don't want to bulldoze it, then find out later there could have been a viable use for it,” said Charles Pugh, a newly elected member who took over as Council president in January.

Now preservationists, business owners, state leaders and community activists are taking what feels like a last stab at saving the 97-year-old building before it goes the way of New York's Pennsylvania Station or, more locally, Tiger Stadium and countless other pieces of old Detroit that have fallen to the wrecking ball in recent years. Among the recent proposals have been to turn the cavernous brick, steel and stone facade into an extreme sports castle; a casino; a hotel and office park; a fish hatchery and aquarium; an amphitheater; or a railway station again, with high-speed trains.

Just Another Sofa on the Streets
of Detroit by Cherie S.

While the story didn't have anything new for people who've been following the sad saga of Detroit's largest ruin other than a link to the Michigan Central Station Preservation Society, it does provide a nice lead-in for another national story. Last week in Examining Data That Would Downsize Detroit, NPR reported that with a quarter of Detroit's 350,000 buildings vacant or in shambles, Mayor Dave Bing wants to reshape the city by getting rid of them and relocating residents who live in desolate neighborhoods, saying it's too expensive to provide city services in areas that are like urban deserts. Bing's proposal is based on data collected by demographer Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit, who explains the data:

"We had surveyors go out and actually collect information in every single parcel in the city of Detroit. And just to give you the real quick analysis, we found better than a third of the land - and that's of 139 square miles - we estimate better than a third of the land in the city of Detroit is either vacant land right now or contains buildings that need to be torn down. It's amazing. I mean, New Orleans is about 70 square miles. We're talking that better than 40 square miles, better than half of New Orleans is vacant land.

Now, of course its interspersed around the city, so that's where the issues about going into neighborhoods where there's a lot of vacant land. But a lot of one or two homes still left on streets. These are neighborhoods that are going to have to be gone into and trying to think about how do we start to move people into other areas."

An effort like this was discussed in Flint, but according to an article on mLive that contrasts the response of Flint & Detroit to population crash, Flint is no longer planning to do neighborhood relocation.

You can learn much more about Michigan Central Station on Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures, and check out the Michigan Central Station slideshow from the photographers of the Absolute Michigan pool.

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Abandoned Richardsonian Romanesque House in Detroit
( Former James Scott Mansion )
by Derek Farr

Michigan has 29 land bank authorities - more than any state. The Detroit News reports that Michigan is going to try to use these land banks to spur redevelopment and garner nearly $300 million:

With the federal money expected to come in January, cities such as Detroit and counties such as Oakland are starting land bank agencies for the first time. The state filed for the Housing and Urban Development funding through a coalition that includes 12 city governments and eight counties. It's a national competition, and the overall fund totals $1.9 billion. Battle Creek, Benton Harbor, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Pontiac, Saginaw and Wyandotte also would be targeted for revitalization.

The Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority would provide land bank services in Detroit; Oakland County, including Pontiac; and Kent County, including Grand Rapids, until local land banks are ready to take over.

Under the plan, the Michigan land banks aim to buy and redevelop more than 6,000 foreclosed, abandoned and vacant properties. The land banks also envision razing 2,500 structures and rehabilitating or building 1,500 homes.

There's also an effort to encourage urban gardeners to develop empty city lots and allow homeowners to buy inexpensive vacant lots next to their property. "We expect (Detroit's land bank) to be the most aggressive developer in the city," said Douglas Diggs, interim director of the city's land bank office.

Good news for Michigan cities! Check out the Abandoned slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool for some likely suspects for the money!

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Abandoned Pontiac Silverdome by Derek Farr

The Detroit News reports that the long-shuttered Pontiac Silverdome has been sold for a mere $583,000 as the home for a soccer league. However, with a cost over $55 million to construct:

"This was a giveaway," said David J. Leitch, a broker with an Auburn Hills based realty firm.

"The property alone, at $10,000 an acre, should have gone for more than that. And you have the Silverdome, its contents, and the infrastructure already in place. I had estimated it would probably go for between $1.2 million and $3 million. I can't believe it."

Such sentiments weren't uncommon Monday, after city officials unsealed bids showing the property that was home to the Detroit Lions was sold at auction to an unnamed Canadian company that plans to bring a soccer league to the stadium. The company's name will be released when the sale is finalized within 45 days, said Fred Leeb, the city's emergency financial manager. Leeb acknowledged the sale "is not a windfall," but said the Silverdome's $1.5 million upkeep drained the beleaguered city's finances.

Go to about 1:20 in the video to get past the auction promo. Much more about the Pontiac Silverdome on Michigan in Pictures!

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The Nature Bar by SCOTTS WORLD

Time, Inc. bought a house in Detroit:

Why would we ever do such a thing? Because we believe that Detroit right now is a great American story. No city has had more influence on the country's economic and social evolution. Detroit was the birthplace of both the industrial age and the nation's middle class, and the city's rise and fall — and struggle to rise again — are a window into the challenges facing all of modern America. From urban planning to the crisis of manufacturing, from the lingering role of race and class in our society to the struggle for better health care and education, it's all happening at its most extreme in the Motor City. (Read TIME's Detroit stories.)

As a story, Detroit has been misunderstood, underreported, stereotyped, avoided and exploited for decades. To get it right, we decided to become stakeholders. Over the next year, we intend to flood the D-zone with journalists, photographers, videographers and bloggers from TIME and TIME.com, Fortune and Fortune.com, CNNMoney.com, Money, even Sports Illustrated. Some will live in the house — dubbed the "D-Shack" after Detroit-area native Kid Rock dropped by with a housewarming gift of a Gothic D (for the mantel) plus a keg of his Badass Beer — and others will stay there while reporting.

Beautiful View - MCS by MikeRyu

With questions such as "How do you survive in Detroit" (below) and What do you love or hate about Detroit answered by city residents and profiles from the Telway Diner's 85 cent burgers to urban farming supported by the kind of in-depth reporting (and national audience) that one of the world's largest news organizations can bring, I really think we'll find Assignment Detroit to be a phenomenal boon for Detroit and all of Michigan.

Be sure to visit Assignment Detroit to watch and read and explore Michigan's largest city through fresh eyes.

You might also stay tuned to AbsoluteMichigan.com/Detroit for features on the Motor City and definitely check out the Detroit Slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr (most recent).

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Today I'm at the Michigan Downtown Conference in Lansing. This morning I'll be posting some updates from the conference as I'm able. This afternoon I'm on a panel with Julielyn Gibbons, Ryan Knott and Bigby Coffee co-founder Bob Fish, talking about new media marketing and promoting our downtowns.

capital evening by cmu chem prof

Downtown Lansing

Flash back to last night at 9 PM. I checked into the Radisson and then went out to walk around downtown Lansing. I spent some time talking to a guard at the city jail about the "vibe" downtown (or lack thereof).   She said that when there are events, the area is humming but that on nights when there's no planned festivities, it's ghostly.

Over on Facebook, Bill Palladino noted that in his travels, state capitols are seldom (Austin TX, go get a drink of water)   happening places. Richard pointed out several others that were doing well. In any case, I think there's something a little sad about a city that is supposed to be the heart of Michigan with shuttered storefronts, perpetually torn up sidewalks and lack of life.

Durant Hotel by detroitsky

Dan Kildee, Keynote Speaker

"Our ability to make progress is determined in large part by our ability to work together"

Dan Kildee is the Genessee County Treasurer and director of the Genessee County Land Bank who has worked to use Michigan's new foreclosure law for community development and neighborhood stabilization. He's also pretty proud that he drew Rush Limbaugh's ire for his plan to reduce the size of Flint (and ultimately cities across the country) to reduce their size and increase the ability to deliver services.

Dan notes that even in our terrible economy, it's easier to build on a green field than to reinvest in our cities. He says that Michigan's foreclosure system had a large role in creating our downtown problems by setting up a system that rewarded speculators. Now, he says, the system allows cities to treat urban land as if it has value and to apply community values and vision.

He had a very interesting talk in which he looked at the toolbox that is available to Michigan downtowns and some success stories from Flint including the redevelopment of the Durant Hotel in Flint as rental housing for students and young professionals. He notes that 70% of Michigan's population lives on 8% of the land and that an overwhelming 97% of Michiganians feel that redevelopment in existing urban centers is preferable to building new. With a decent set of tools, he says all that's missing is a bias on the part of lawmakers and our laws to support this pattern of development.

Lansing Mayor Virg Benaro asked us to close our eyes and imagine when the auto industry was in its heyday and how we built great cities during that time. Now, as the auto industry contracts we are still left with these great cities, but what are we doing to preserve and restore them. He then talked about how East Lansing and Lansing - two one horse towns driven by MSU and the Capitol could be 10 times the city if they worked together. He also called for cities and their surrounding communities to cooperate and build the brand of Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit and other cities.

Why Live in Detroit? by Derek Farr

Niche Marketing: Success through creativity and collaboration

A panel with Elissa Sangalli Hillary (Executive Director of Local First in Grand Rapids),
Claire Nelson (Co-Owner & Operator of the Bureau of Urban Living & cofounder (with Liz Blondy) of Open City Detroit) and Liz Blondy (Founder of Canine to Five Detroit Dog Daycare) talking about what they do and how small business can be a driver of vibrant downtowns.

Elissa noted a commonly cited statistic (view graphic) that shows 73% of dollars spent at a local business stay in the community as compared to 43% if you spend your money at a national chain. She discussed some strategies they are using to give small businesses access to pooled advertising and purchasing.

Claire talked about her small business and how Detroit offered an opportunity to start a business that would have been impossible in New York City where she moved from. She talked about the importance of creating a climate that's business friendly and also - through events and collaboration - draws folks to burgeoning downtowns. She also drew a laugh by noting that small business in Detroit doesn't face too many threats from national chain stores.

When Liz Blondy came on I lost wireless, making me again think that about the best thing a downtown can do is to deliver a free wireless cloud. She explained her philosophy of focusing on free networking and and promotional efforts rather than exclusively advertising. Small actions like referring waiting customers to another business to pass the time cost nothing and reap big rewards. Wireless is apparently back.

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Slows by farlane

A few weeks ago NPR had an interesting feature titled Despite Tough Times, Some See Opportunity In Detroit that looked at how Detroit's dramatic downturn has created some amazing opportunities for starting businesses.

Phil Cooley says the city is wide open for new ventures and is tolerant of his mistakes and successes. "It's lovely to be able to afford to do that here, one, because the community is so forgiving. And two, because it's less expensive than other places. So it's affordable," he says.

Music producer Chris Koltay was drawn to Detroit from Cincinnati by the vibrant music scene and the cheap real estate. He says he knew he could afford a whole building. He found one across the street from Slows for just $38,000. The recording studio is packed with guitars, keyboards and microphones.

Koltay has made a loft in the back of the building and for a year lived there without hot water. "It was gnarly, but whatever. Now I'm golden. And it's so wide open, and I think that's beautiful. I've never seen a city that has this kind of opportunity for growth, and I think that's beautiful," he says.

Check out some Detroit commercial real estate listings from Loopnet, follow the Detroit rebirth via Model D and get links from Absolute Michigan's Real Estate & Development section for Southeast Michigan.

Investors find real estate gold in Detroit from CNN explores a similar phenomenon in the Detroit housing market.

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The Mason House c 1872 in Carriage Town by mansardroofsf

The New York Times has taken note of an area in Flint called Carriage Town that is making a comeback due to some industrious and motivated homeowners. In the midst of an otherwise impoverished area and dire economic circumstances these people are taking advantage of real estate deals and restoring the beautiful old homes that make up the area. The article Faded Glory: Polishing Flint's Jewels also notes that as people move in businesses follow and once again becomes a community.

In a city that is synonymous with faded American industrial and automotive power, Carriage Town's success is both unexpected and inspiring. A persistent group of long-term urban homesteaders — along with newer arrivals eager to live near a downtown showing signs of life — has restored dozens of Victorian-era houses and buildings in the last 20 years. While many Flint neighborhoods feel all but abandoned, in Carriage Town home ownership has increased 10 percent over the last decade, according to Census data.

In a worldwide recession, development projects with more than $47 million in public and private financing are in progress or recently completed in the 30-square-block Carriage Town area, including the conversion of the derelict Berridge Hotel into lofts and the ongoing renovation of the long-vacant Durant Hotel into 93 apartments and commercial space. There are even plans for a neighborhood grocery store.

But there's no denying that Carriage Town is a work in progress, and that those who call it home must deal with challenges like speculators, abandoned houses and lack of code enforcement by the cash-strapped city.

For more images of Flin't Carriage Town check out this slideshow from Flickr...

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Waiting room, Michigan Central
Station by jeanpierrelavoie

Over on Michigan in Pictures today we featured a link to an incredible panoramic walkthrough of Detroit's Michigan Central Station by Montreal photographer Jean-Pierre Lavoie. The Detroit News had a feature on Lavoie that explains:

In Lavoie's past, he was an electrical engineer with an interest in cameras.

Now he's a former engineer who shoots stills and panoramas for businesses, museums and his own amusement. Recently, he shot Stevie Wonder's performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival; it's on his Web site.

The side-to-side, up-and-down, 360-degree process involves a high-end camera, a fisheye sort of lens, a tripod, a computer program and patience. The computer stitches together the images, but it's up to the photographer to make sure the proportion remains correct when a nearby object gives way to a distant one.

Run (don't walk) to check this out and if you want to see what this was before time and neglect had their way, check out the video below!

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Craftsman Home, McLean Street
Highland Park MI by pinehurst19475

A few weeks ago, the Chicago Reader had a great feature saying there's nowhere in America quite like Detroit right now. You should read the whole thing but here's a taste:

They say when the country catches a cold, Michigan gets the flu. Projects that started before the subprime crisis and ensuing global economic collapse have been either quietly completed or left to wait. New projects have shelved while the region watches the auto industry.

Yet even as GM closes plants and Chrysler faces Chapter 11, things are sprouting in Detroit. The city made the New York Times in March not for news about the Big Three but for the purchase by a Chicago couple of a house for $100, on a block being taken over by artists with plans for solar-powered art center and a vegetable garden. The city has a booming urban agriculture movement, and in April financier John Hantz, working with Michigan State University and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, proposed building the “world's largest urban farm” on vacant and abandoned properties, starting with a 70-acre fruit and veggie patch on the east side. Also last month, a group of local businesses began printing their own currency, the Detroit Cheer, in an effort to encourage local spending. (Model D article on the currency)

...“Detroit right now is just this vast, enormous canvas where anything imaginable can be accomplished,” wrote novelist Toby Barlow, who paid $100,000 for a Mies van der Rohe townhouse in Detroit's Lafayette Park, in the Times piece. “In a way, a strange, new American dream can be found here, amid the crumbling, semi-majestic ruins of a half-century's industrial decline.”

Beverly's House/1874 by Mr. History

If you are looking for a home in Detroit, check out the Detroit Realtors Association and also Southeast Michigan Realtors on Absolute Michigan. The feature references Room for 2 Million More at the Powerhouse Project, which says that although there are great deals in Detroit, don't purchase something without seeing it, no matter how cheap it is. They also call out some of the organizations in the D who are working to transform the city (if you know of others in Detroit or elsewhere in Michigan, share them below):

Georgia Street Garden
Urban Farming
Model D Media
Catherine Ferguson Academy
The Yes Farm
Motor City Blight Busters

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Here's the process of prairiefying a city:

1. A city is built on the river, allowing for trade and commerce and irrigation of farms.
2. The city prospers and more people move in, the city expands. Farms on the edge of town are converted to housing, forest further on the edge are cleared for farms.
3. Over a few generations this process repeats.
4. A lightening bolt of innovation strikes the heart of several men at about the same time (Henry Ford, The Dodge and Fisher clans, Henry Leland, Billy Durant and the crowd from Flint, et al), and all hell breaks loose, suddenly the timber town on the River is an industrial gold mine.
5. An insane number of people flow in from all parts of the world. Black and white folks roll in from the south. All the farms are snatched up and houses, mills, factories and shops are planted in the field.
6. Everyone wants to drive and the emotional tie of the car to an entire nation is so intense the money whooshing through the city is almost palatable. The wealth is spread around and the workers decide to spread out, move out to the “country”. They have the means to do it, these middle class kings.
7. Then one day the money flow slowed down. Innovation and competition meant fewer jobs. Factories began to close. New factories followed the workers out to the “country”.
8. Too many people left behind lacked the money and prospects to maintain their homes and in the Michigan climate a home requires money to keep it standing.
9. Slowly at first, then faster as time passed, neighborhoods were simply deserted.
10. As folks moved out, businesses and churches and such that needed them soon closed their doors. With no buyers for their stores, they stood abandoned.
11. One by one these homes, factories and stores fall victim to the elements and arson. In time entire blocks are cleared. Native grasses and trees take root.

A city is built on the river, allowing for trade and commerce and irrigation of farms.....

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Morels ! by cedarkayak

The latest issue of Midwest Living feature on the Best Midwest Food Towns served up a platefull of restaurants in our region that might entice the culinary tourist. Their editors selected Traverse City as the #2 town and Ann Arbor #3. Also featured were a collection of recipes from Traverse City including Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce With Pasta and a Creme Fraiche from Shetler's Dairy.

The Detroit City Council's proposal to demolish Michigan Central Station as a means to bring in Federal stimulus dollars seemed to many to have all the brilliance of a plan to get rich quick by selling both your kidneys. Now the Detroit News reports that developer Manuel (Matty) Moroun is proposing to lease Michigan Central Station to the United States government for redevelopment. The Department of Homeland Security offices for Customs and Border Protection are seeking to lease almost 50,000 square feet of space in the Detroit area to house personnel.

Of surprise to nobody - outside of State government at least - the Detroit News is reporting that Michigan's agricultural industry is bucking the trend of decline:

The state's overall agricultural industry -- which includes not only farming but also food processing and biofuels, wineries and beer-making -- grew 12 percent to $71.3 billion in revenue in 2007, following several years of single-digit growth; 2008 figures are not yet available.

...Some 100 agri-food businesses have started in Michigan during the past five years, according to the MDA.

Imagine what we could do if we really invested in building and promoted our agricultural bounty.

Edward Vielmetti has a tasty post that includes Michigan's morel festivals and the book How to Find Morels by Milan Pelouch. Even more about morels at Absolute Michigan keyword morel!

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Abandoned building in Flint - Colors by Derek Farr ( DetroitDerek)

The New York Times has a great report titled An Effort to Save Flint by Shrinking It that begins:

Instead of waiting for houses to become abandoned and then pulling them down, local leaders are talking about demolishing entire blocks and even whole neighborhoods.

The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval.

“Decline in Flint is like gravity, a fact of life,” said Dan Kildee, the Genesee County treasurer and chief spokesman for the movement to shrink Flint. “We need to control it instead of letting it control us.”

With 75 neighborhoods over 34 square miles and the immense challenge of trying to maintain infrastructure and deliver services over too large an area to too few people, it's clear that Flint - and other places in Michigan - will need to think deeply and creatively about our use of space.

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Weird Wednesday already? Nope. Huge piles of ice were pushed by NE winds into homes along Linwood Beach (just north of Bay City), forcing evacuations and causing damage. Linwood Beach residents return to find ice piled around, inside and atop their homes from the Bay City Times begins:

"I was making a grocery list in the kitchen and the next thing you know, we had this," said Angie Hughes, nodding at the ice resting inside her kitchen.

"Once we saw the first two piles of ice coming over the seawall, we just ran," Steve Hughes said Monday, returning to assess the damage. "I just remember hearing the kitchen window explode and the kitchen table getting thrown back.

"It was just incredible to see. It's got to be about 50 tons of ice that came up here in less than a few minutes."

It has some great photos from this latest ice incursion from Saginaw Bay and also from a similar incident in 1946 when Lake Huron ice devastated homes along the bay.

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One of Those Moments by MAGICDUDE PHOTOGRAPHY

The New York Times reports that 30 states are looking at running out of funds to pay unemployment compensation in the next few months. Two states have already run out. One is Indiana. One guess as to the other:

Michigan, which has been borrowing money from the federal government for the past few years to replenish its fund, is now $508.8 million in the hole and unable to repay it. Next month the state, where the unemployment rate is more than 9 percent, will begin levying a special “solvency tax” against some employers to replenish its trust fund.

If you're like me and saying: "What? Solvency tax?" here's a Detroit News article explaining that the solvency tax will apply to   "negative balance" firms - companies whose employees have received more in unemployment benefits than the companies have paid in unemployment insurance taxes (about 34,000) and also the scintillating description of the Solvency Tax from the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.

Speaking of news that was news to me; yesterday while checking out a startling story I learned that Ford Field in Detroit will host the 2009 NCAA Final Four (also see the official site). An amazing coup for Ford Field, University of Detroit Mercy and the city of Detroit to be sure.

The Roof, the Roof, the Roof was on Fire by pairadocs

That story (via the Freep via Michitwitter) begins:

Detroit's thinning population is vividly -- some would say disturbingly -- illustrated in a new map that is creating a buzz in local planning circles.

The map shows how to tuck the land mass of Manhattan (23 square miles), San Francisco (47 square miles) and Boston (48 square miles) -- and their combined populations of nearly 3 million people -- into Detroit. All three urban areas fit snugly within Detroit's 139 square miles with room to spare.

It ends with this map showing how you could fit Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan into Detroit and conclusions that if Detroit were to think about all that space - 30% of the city - differently, the results could be truly amazing. Please take the time to read Acres of barren blocks offer chance to reinvent Detroit in the Detroit Free Press.

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the creative big three by vanessamiller
(John Howkins, Charles Landry & Richard Florida)

We'll lead off with a quick plug for an upcoming conference and a look back at one from the recent past. The Conference on Michigan's Future takes place in a few weeks (Nov 14-16) at Crystal Mountain with a focus on peak oil, energy & transportation choices, local food, climate change and planning. Two weeks ago the Creative Cities Summit 2.0 in Detroit brought folks from all over the world to Detroit to talk about what cities could and should be. Check out Model D's great report from the conference.

The future is kind of a scary concept these days with talk now that the Big Three might very well become the Not So Large Two, so I suppose we in Michigan can be forgiven for closing our eyes and hoping that it will all come out all right in the end.

Up in Northwest Michigan, folks (including myself) are working on a project for Absolute Michigan sponsor The Grand Vision. It's a six county effort that is seeking input on the ways that the region should grow - something that should be useful for those from all over the state. The Grand Vision "Scorecards" are due this week and you can get all sorts of information and fill yours out at thegrandvision.org/scorecard. There's also a video below.

'Peaking' at the 'Future' (one gallon at a time) by PhotoLab507

mLive has a guest blog from MSU Karl Guenther about the role of agriculture in the Michigan's future. He notes that while manufacturing in this state is big and getting smaller, agriculture is big and getting bigger. Karl says that MSU's Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs) is a tremendous investment. He references their excellent annual report to the Legislature (PDF) to say:

We have about 10 million acres of farmland, or 53,200 farms averaging 190 acres each. Our farmers produce more than 200 commodities commercially, making Michigan second in diversity of production only to California, which has citrus. We export about a third of all that, generating a billion dollars and supporting 13,000 jobs. (and contributes $63.7 billion to the Michigan's economy!)

From the "You really think so?" files is the Detroit News' Nolan Finley saying Michigan should root for warmer earth because although we have 3,288 miles of coastline - more than any other state except Alaska -   cool weather leaves the beaches empty for half the year. Add 5 or 10 degrees and he can imagine Florida's sun and surf worshippers packing up for our shoreline or trading the broiling sun of Arizona for Michigan's golfers paradise. His tongue is probably partway in cheek as he says it may be our only way out of a dark economic hole, but it begs the question of "what's wrong with marketing what we already have?"

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grand rapids art museum by chadâ„¢

When the topic of 'green building' comes up many still think of images such as earthships, built from recycled materials including used tires. Although efficient and intelligently designed, they didn't necessarily appeal to the maintstream home owner or developers. Today green buildings appear much like any other home or building. They are designed to save money, use energy and water efficiently, reduce waste and create over all healthier environments for living and working. Faced with increasing energy costs and the impact we place upon the environment the climate is ripe for the green building industry.

Perhaps surprisingly, Michigan is among the green building leaders in the nation - trailing only Oregon and California. As of April, 2007, 212 buildings in Michigan were registered or certified under LEED, placing Michigan in the top 10 states with registered green buildings. Within the state the west side is outpacing the east, with Grand Rapids out in front having the most LEED certified buildings.

Standing out is the newly built Grand Rapids Art Museum which recently received the distinction of being the world's first Gold LEED certified art museum. More stories from The Chicago Tribune, New York Time, Architect and ARTnews can be found here. In Lansing, General Motors has built the only auto assembly plant in the world to receive LEED certification. General Motors' new Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant has received a gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The building is the only automotive manufacturing plant in the world -- as well as the largest facility and the most complex manufacturing site -- to ever receive any level of LEED certification. MSNBC covered this in 2006 in their feature GM builds a eco-friendly assembly plant - $1 million-a-year energy savings touted at unveiling

OK, time to grab the popcorn...

A video over at YouTube from Medialink titled "Buildings Are More Responsible For CO2 Emissions Than Cars" was produced for General Motors and is an interesting watch.

Even more below the fold...

Other notable Michigan green buildings, projects and programs:

S.T Dana Building Renovation - University of Michigan

The S.T. Dana Building is a 100-year-old academic building that houses the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE) at the University of Michigan. In the 1990s, SNRE began planning for a major renovation to the structure. This project had two primary goals: to create a comfortable place to learn and work and to demonstrate state-of-the-art green design. The renovation resulted in a building where environmental principles are not only taught but also upheld and demonstrated to the community.

The Green Roof Research Program at Michigan State University

Green roofs involve growing plants on rooftops, thus replacing the vegetated footprint that was destroyed when the building was constructed. Germany is widely considered the leader in green roof research, technology and usage.

The green roof research program at MSU was initiated in collaboration with Ford Motor Company during 2000 in an effort to advise them on the installation of a 10.4 acre extensive green roof on a new assembly plant in Dearborn, Mich.

Kresge Foundation Headquarters

Our state-of-the-art facilities, which were completed in 2006, serve as a model of sustainable design and an educational resource for us and our community. The headquarters integrates a 19th century farmhouse and barn - part of our offices for many years - with a new contemporary two-level 19,500-square-foot glass and steel building. The construction process and day-to-day maintenance provides valuable new knowledge, lessons that inform our grantmaking.

Residential Buildings in the Copper Country

This residential guide to designing and building a green home was developed as part of the Sustainable Futures II course offered at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. With so much information available about green buildings, it can be a daunting task to sort through the material to obtain specific aspects of green buildings that a home builder might be interested in. The purpose of this guide is to act as a resource for home builders in the Copper Country area to provide a base for green building practices. Due to time constraints of the course, this guide does not include all aspects of green buildings. Instead, the most relative aspects of green building to the Copper Country were chosen and included in this guide.

Bissfield Michigan Home, Model of Sustainability, Earns LEEDS Platinum

Michigan's first platinum-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award has been given to “Burnside's Inn,” a home designed by Riverbend Timber Framing, Blissfield, and built by Robert Burnside's Fireside Home Construction, Dexter.

Is green building costly?

Most people think that building green will break the bank when in reality green building is an affordable alternative.

The Natural Resources Defense Council tell us:

Green building skeptics sometimes argue that it's difficult or even impossible to build green without paying a big cost premium. But real-world examples show that you can complete a LEED-certified green building project for an average of 2 percent more in upfront costs, and sometimes even below standard market construction costs.

Industry experts say homeowners who toss about $3,000 extra into building green can expect to make up for that in a few years with lower utility bills.

Attend Great Lakes Green 2008

Coming up in on August 21-23 is the Residential Green Building Conference at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, DeVos Place - Grand Rapids, MI. Their website tells us:

The world of homebuilding is going green! More and more homeowners are realizing the impact that environmentally friendly building can have on their world. Learn what green building is, what standards constitute green building and how you can put it to use for your home building business. Green building makes sense - from an environmental and a fiscal perspective.

If you are or know of a student interested in green building you may want to check out the "Student Home Design Competition". There is an entry fee for each educational bracket but the payoff for winners is nice.

Competition - Green home building is exploding across the U.S. and the Great Lakes region. Are you interested in the fastest growing sector of the construction industry? Do you care about the environment and want to help create sustainable homes? If you are or are interested in pursuing a career in the building sciences, architecture or any construction-related field, here is your opportunity to learn, have fun, and earn some cold hard cash for school. Gather your classmates, form a team, and develop drawings that show off your vision for the future of green home construction.

For more on green building check out the following resources and articles:

Michigan Green is a group of energy companies and energy consultants, together with government agencies and schools, colleges, and universities, has joined forces to champion the cause of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Michigan and throughout the Nation.

The Alliance for Environmental Sustainability, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was founded in 2000 as a vehicle to bring the residential construction industry into the 21st-century. The goal of the founders was to provide training to builders and homebuyers for environmentally friendly, healthy and energy efficient building practices and products.

Green Built Michigan, an independent 501 (C)(3), was created in 2006 as a statewide green building certification, professional development and education organization. Initially housed in Grand Rapids, Green Built moved its headquarters to Lansing in 2007.

The Green Revolution from the Northern Express

Blueprints go green- Environmentally friendly buildings gaining popularity, certification - via Metro Times

'Green' elements huge at builders show - via Ann Arbor Business Review's Michigan Environmental Issues, Great Lakes' Environmental & Conservation News

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Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset #2 by epeoples

The Sweet 16 of Detroit's Development Scene

Model D got into the March Madness Mood with 16 Sweet Developments in Detroit. The feature lists some great projects like RiverWalk, Hatch HQ, Dequindre Cut and the Tiger Stadium redevelopment and also general trends like better food, a facelift for the arts and Open City, an informal networking group in which business ownders share tips about real estate, start-up financing, marketing and other thorny issues with folks starting businesses. One thing is clear - there's an energy in the D that can't help but benefit the city and the rest of the state.

Mortgage Crisis Hits Hard in Michigan...

It's probably a surprise to nobody that Michigan is near the top (#6, see Freep article) in real estate foreclosures. While 75% of foreclosed homes are located in southeast Michigan (according to WZZM, Grand Rapids), the effects of the mortgage crisis are dropping home values statewide (Gaylord Herald Times, WOOD-TV Grand Rapids), making it difficult to sell even "dream homes" up north (Detroit News) and even tightening commercial credit (mLive).

Commercial Real Estate Hit too ... by the Legislature

When residential markets collapse, commercial buyers often move in and soften the impact by buying foreclosed properties. The Kalamazoo Gazette's business writer Alex Nixon has an informative (though depressing) look at how Michigan's new business tax is imposing 200% or greater tax increases on commercial real estate. While it makes some sense due to the fact that the old SBT was payroll based, it is proving challenging to many in the industry. (thanks to Real Estate Bloggers for the tip)

So Where's the Silver Lining?

One of the things that we always try to do is find the good in the news. While the whole homes & real estate picture is pretty gloomy, here's a couple of thoughts. One is that while the drop in real estate value is bad for home owners, those who are seeking to buy are - when they can get credit - finding good value in Michigan. Many of those are young families, something that might help stem our population loss over the long haul. A second is that the difficulties are forcing Michigan to take the lead in confronting the foreclosure tide that is rising all across the nation. Whether our political leaders and institutions can rise to the challenge is an open question, but it seems to me that items like this bill aimed at providing transition loans for ARM holders through the Michigan Housing Development Authority are a step in the right direction.

Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset

Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset #2 by epeoples is one of a number found in a search for riverwalk in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. Many are from the Detroit Riverwalk, and all show something that is another amazing thing about making Michigan your home: the magic of our water.

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Henderson Castle, Effets de Neige
by John Clement Howe

The homes in the neighborhoods of Stuart, West Main Hill and South Street in Kalamazoo reflect both the individuality and also the economic status of their original owners. There are a variety of architectural styles examples here from the the turn of the century. The most popular of these are Queen Anne and Renaissance style, but there are Italian, Gothic and Greek influences as well.

The Henderson Park neighborhood was platted by Frank Henderson, who took advantage of Kalamazoo's topography by rejecting a typical grid pattern in favor of curving, tree-lined streets and deep setbacks. The Kalamazoo Public Library's excellent Kalamazoo Local History section features articles and photos of many of the homes. The Henderson Castle feature says in part:

The Queen Anne style house--always called "The Castle" by local residents because of its ornate style and imposing hilltop location--was designed by C. A. Gombert of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and cost $72,000 to build. With seven baths, a thirteen-head shower, an elevator, a third-floor ballroom, and a hot tub on the roof (added later) the 25-room castle exemplifies high society and expensive tastes. The castle's exterior is made of Lake Superior sandstone and brick, and the interior wood includes mahogany, bird's eye maple, quartered oak, birch, and sycamore.

John Clement Howe has a great set of photos of the historic district in Kalamazoo (slideshow). The city has many sites on the national, state and local historic registers and you can get a walking tour map from the Kalamazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau - call (269) 381-4003.

If you're looking for a rental, check out the Kalamazoo Area Rental Housing Association. If a home purchase is in your plans, try the Greater Kalamazoo Association of REALTORS ®.

Check out more Michigan Neighborhoods from Absolute Michigan

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Tower of Power by docksidepress

Heritage Hill has 1,300 homes that date from 1848 and representing over 60 architectural styles. To understand just how diverse these styles can be, visit the Voight House Museum, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture and then walk a few blocks over to the Meyer May house which was Frank Lloyd Wright's first commission in Michigan. Heritage Hill is adjacent to downtown and was the first "neighborhood" in Grand Rapids. The original owners of these homes were everything from lumber barons and judges to teachers. Today the people that occupy this neighborhood still come from all types of backgrounds, ethnic groups and incomes.

The Heritage Hill Neighborhood Association has information about walking tours of Heritage Hill and the very cool Heritage Hill mapping project. They host an annual home tour the first weekend in October.

Matt (docksidepress) has over 300 photos from Heritage Hill, you can view more photos of Heritage Hill in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr and see even more photos and information about Heritage Hill from Rapid Growth. There's also a book titled Almost Lost: Building and Preserving Heritage Hill by Thomas Logan that explores how close Grand Rapids came to losing the neighborhood in the 60s and 70s.

We'll be featuring more Michigan Neighborhoods all month on Absolute Michigan!

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Homes along East Ferry Avenue - Detroit MI by pinehurst19475

For the month of March, Absolute Michigan will be featuring Homes with stories about historic Michigan houses, home & home design blogs, green building and other new trends in construction and redevelopment, and some of the great neighborhoods across the state for buying and renting. We'll also take a look at Michigan's real estate market and seek some answers for home buyers and sellers in how to get through this difficult time. Where we can, we'll feature some Michigan businesses who can help you make your home better through home improvements and enhancing your decor and furnishings.

As always, we recognize that there's so much to know and talk about and we really hope you'll help us with comments and emailed tips for stories!

Regarding the photo, pinehurst19475 says that the East Ferry Historic District began as an exclusive residential area in the late 1880s, after serving as an experimental seed farm for the Ferry Seed Company. Building continued through the 1920s, and today the area is a mix of well maintained structures used for residential, commercial and institutional purposes. The district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It's part of a great Residential Detroit set of photos.

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well red by suesue2

For the whole month of March, we'll be featuring Homes on Absolute Michigan with features about historic Michigan homes, green building and other new trends in construction and some great neighborhoods across the state. Because you can't tune in any media without hearing how terrible the housing market is, we'll also talk to some people about the whys, wherefores and how that can be overcome.

Our Homes & Real Estate section can probably give you some other hints about topics we'll feature including home improvement and interior decorating. However, if you're hot to get in the garden, you'll have to wait for April when we feature gardening & Michigan flora!

Have ideas for topics? All you have to do is post a comment or send an email!

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Great Lakes Town Hall turns two

In December 2005, an online social network called the Great Lakes Town Hall was formed with idea of uniting communities throughout the Great Lakes region. Every week, the site features an expert writing essays in their Opinion Forum about some aspect of life in the Great Lakes basin. Two years and 1,400 original essays later, they're hoping you'll take some time to share your thoughts on the site's future. And yes, my friend Dick Huey is there this week with some interesting observations about real estate.

Wake up and smell the future

In Pointing at Vesuvius, The Center for Michigan's John Bebow looks at last week's visit by U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker as part of the Fiscal Wake Up Tour. The central argument is that the rapidly rising costs of Medicare, Social Security and long-term obligations like the interest on the national debt "will create a tsunami if we don't do something about it." Numbers like $50 trillion can seem abstract but the $440,000 for every household in the United States. MSU economist Charles Ballard brought it home for the crowd by noting that "Michigan's policies have been distressingly consistent with the short-sighted policies at the federal level."

KAP Muskegon State Park by snapshot720

In case you're wondering, "KAP" stands for "Kite Aerial Photography" and this photo is a great example of why you might send your camera up into the sky. It shows the WWII era USS Silversides SS-236 and the prohibition era USCGC McLane in their berths at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum in Muskegon. He notes that the Silversides is 312' long but only 27' wide. This is one of a set of photos he took from Muskegon State Park.

MiLife, MiTimes, MiUltimateguidetonewmedia, MiBraindrain?

It's the season of giving and the folks at MiLife MiTimes have created The Ultimate Guide to New Media in Michigan in appreciation of all the young, creative, innovative, outgoing and optimistic folks in Michigan. They list a lot of favorites and some I hadn't see like the Detroit Fashion Pages. Somehow Absolute Michigan made their list too - must have been a typo on age verification form. Also don't miss publisher Eric Cedo's dismantling of the Michigan "brain drain" myth.

Muskegon, Michigan

Wikipedia's entry for Muskegon says that settlement of the city began in earnest in 1837 and that during the lumbering era, Muskegon was known as "Lumber Queen of the World" and boasted more millionaires than any other town in America. The city's population as of 2000 was 40,105. Absolute Michigan keyword Muskegon would like you to know about the Inside Muskegon Podcast (who has today posted podcast #100), the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the Muskegon County Convention & Visitor's Bureau.

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Tayshaun by radiospike

If you can't afford a hybrid, go PB&J

Via Michigan-based blog Scientific Ink, I learned that A PB&J will slow global warming, reducing your carbon footprint by saving the equivalent of 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over an average animal-based lunch like a hamburger, a tuna sandwich, grilled cheese, or chicken nuggets. That's about 40% of what you'd save driving around for the day in a hybrid instead of a standard sedan and it also saves water, land and the fats in PB&J aren't as bad as you might think!

Prince Kicks Down

Sports Illustrated reports in A prince among men that last week Pistons' star Tayshaun Prince and his wife Farah purchased and redecorated a luxury suite at the Palace to donate to Kids Kicking Cancer, a Detroit-based charity that uses martial arts techniques to empower hundreds of children and help them cope with their illness. Great article about a great guy and a program that really looks special (be sure to check out that link - they have an excellent video on their site from TV-4 as well).

Radiospike, Courtside

If you live in Detroit, you might know Spike aka radiospike from Mojo in the Morning. I'm not sure if these awesome courtside seats at the were a perk from that or just from living right, but he sure got some great shots in his Pistons 11-23-07 set like this one of Tayshaun Prince and this one of Chauncey Billups. The cheerleaders seem to have gotten in his way in a lot of the other photos, but I guess that's a hazard of being courtside.

Foreclosure Madness and the Motor City

Easy money, risky loans drive area home losses in the Detroit News is an excellent, in-depth feature probing the causes for the sky-high foreclosure rates of Michigan (particularly Metro Detroit) has as much to do with the mortgage industry as the auto industry in that money remained "incredibly easy to borrow." The result was a very high percentage of subprime loans - 55% in the region and 2 out of 3 in Wayne County. According to the article, the root of the problem (if indeed there is one) is the fact that loans became a Wall Street commodity, and it didn't matter if some loans went bad when the yield was that high. But as Bill Matthews, senior vice president of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors notes: "What the hedge fund manager is missing, is it's destroying communities."

Video from YOUR Town

There's no way that I'm going to feature any Michigan city or town after that story. Instead, I'll call out our new Absolute Michigan group on YouTube. We'd like you to share your videos about all aspects of the Great Lakes State - your hometown, history, fun things to do, good eats, great businesses and places to visit. We'll feature videos from the group here on Absolute Michigan!

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Cloudy buildings, forward and behind by caterpillars

Rivertowner combines information about the development of Detroit's riverfront with information about life along the riverfront (sometimes touching on Windsor, Canada), creating a fascinating view of life in Detroit and how the city is revitalizing itself as a place to live, work, and visit.

When it's not considering weighty questions such as What kind of shoe would Detroit be?, serving up interesting facts about fixtures of the Detroit riverfront like the Globe Building or snapping photos of startling wildlife, the site can be counted on to provide an informed look at planned efforts to revitalize the city like scheduled work on the Dequindre Cut Greenway, Tricentennial Park, the Book Cadillac redevelopment and Hart Plaza:

"The planned renovations of Hart Plaza would go a long way towards helping the public space live up to its potential. There would be a lot more green space for people to enjoy, and the DEGC (the city's main economic development agency) evidently worked with the festival organizers to ensure that the reconfigured design would benefit the festivals. What's more, a new restaurant and café in the plaza would give visitors an additional reason to make the hike across Jefferson Avenue. And the new 3,000-seat amphitheater will give Detroit an urban performance venue on par with those of other cities, bringing additional visitors and economic activity into downtown. "

If you love Detroit or are interested in following its rebirth, I really think you'll enjoy Rivertowner.

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Summer Night in Old Town by sabatoa

The Model D empire continues its inexorable march to talk about what's going right in Michigan cities with Lansing Area Capital Gains. The first issue includes a feature by managing editor Brad Garmon on the resurgence of Michigan's Capital City that begins:

It doesn't take an urban planner or a census taker to tell you that Lansing has turned some subtle but significant corner on its transformative journey to thriving cityhood. All it takes is a Thursday visit to the corner of Michigan Avenue and Larch Street on a hot summer night when the Lansing Lugnuts are in town...

As with other Model D productions, they blend well written articles with excellent photography and neighborhood profiles (Old Town is their first feature) to deliver a two-fisted uppercut to the jaw to the Michigan's moaning mainstream media.

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While Absolute Michigan has been paying attention to efforts to save a portion of Tiger Stadium, I'd like to be absolutely clear in saying that Comerica Park is a gorgeous ballpark and I wouldn't have the Detroit Tigers playing anywhere else! If you have any doubts, the above photo Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park by chinkon from our Absolute Michigan pool should erase them - what a view, especially at the larger size!

That said, Ernie Harwell's plans for Tiger Stadium are very interesting and I really hope that they are fully explored. Here's an update from today's Freep that much of the initial money for an estimated $90-million renovation would come from local family foundations who have signaled their willingness to donate, with other funds from office leases and other revenue from the ballpark. The article also mentions the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, who have more modest plans to save about 1,000 seats, both dugouts, the visiting team's locker room behind first base and a small portion of the stadium behind home plate and the first-base line.

I assume that readers of Absolute Michigan also follow Michigan in Pictures. In case you don't, I thought I should tip you off to some photos from the book Tiger Stadium by Irwin J. Cohen (Arcadia Publishing) posted over there of the stadium and the 1968 World Series. There's more photos of the Tigers & Tiger Stadium on Michigan in Pictures (including Tiger Stadium, in pictures).

While the Tigers have been struggling of late, a mini youth movement seems to be energizing the club. The team brought up phenom Cameron Maybin last week and also Jair Jurrjens, who (with a little help from a bullpen made even more formidable by the returning Joel Zumaya) notched a 2-1 victory over division rival Cleveland Indians in his Comerica debut.

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Regarding the building, the Clay Avenue Cellars web site says:

Clay Avenue Station is a rescued historic building in the City of Muskegon, Michigan. Formerly known as the Freres Gas Station, it was built in 1928 and was situated on the corner of Laketon and Henry Avenues. The roads were gravel when the station was constructed. The building itself was slated for demolition to make way for new commercial development. It was rescued and moved to its new location in the fall of 2004 in historic downtown Muskegon.

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For Sale by John Baird

Celeste Whiting's Our Michigan is a blog that takes a probing look at hard to comprehend mega-issues like the global financial upheaval, simplifies them, and then explores how they relate to life right here in Michigan. Celeste takes that same skill of simplification and applies it to Michigan's political blogosphere.

Speaking of politics, she recently wrote that Gov. Milliken is her new favorite Republican:

William Milliken is my new favorite republican. Once upon a time, long ago and right here, a republican governor signed revolutionary environmental protection legislation--fitting in a state with a motto boasting its natural resources. Passed in 1970, Michigan's Environmental Protection Act set an ambitious standard recognizing the right of anyone to sue over damage to the water, air or land. It was recognition of the commons--the resources we share as citizens--and our rights and responsibility to protect them.

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