Transforming the Knowledge Gap for Local Planning Officials: Impacts of Continuing Education in a Master Citizen Planner Program

In an era of increasing complexity, the majority of local land-use decisions in the United States are made by volunteer citizen planners. Often these elected or appointed volunteers enter their positions with a passion for their communities but without appropriate background training. The Michigan Citizen Planner Program was developed to address this gap. The study described in this article investigated the self-assessed impacts on graduates of basic and advanced training. Findings suggest that training conducted as the result of collaboration by university Extension, other state agencies, and nonprofit groups is essential to realizing the positive community development impacts expected by citizens and local officials

Community Land Trusts and Land Banks: Understanding the Opportunities and Barriers to Affordable Housing and Placemaking

This project will address the opportunities and barriers to coordinated transfers between Land Banks and Community Land Trusts to create a pipeline of low-cost properties that could be redeveloped as permanently affordable housing or community serving placemaking amenities. National and local case studies will be explored to learn how a combined redevelopment plan could provide an enduring solution to pressing community needs in affordable housing and placemaking of urban vacant land. Ultimately, it is anticipated this project will provide land banks in Michigan with a greater awareness for opportunities to collaborate with Community Land Trusts to achieve affordable housing and placemaking objectives

Renewable energy potential on brownfield sites: A case study of Michigan

Federal priorities are increasingly favoring the replacement of conventional sources of energy with renewable energy. With the potential for a federal Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) legislation, many states are seeking to intensify their renewable energy generation. The demand for wind, solar, geothermal and bio-fuels-based energy is likely to be rapidly expressed on the landscape. However, local zoning and NIMBYism constraints slow down the placement of renewable energy projects. One area where land constraints may be lower is brownfields; whose development is currently constrained by diminished housing, commercial, and industrial property demand. Brownfield sites have the potential for rapid renewable energy deployment if state and national interests in this area materialize. This study investigates the application of renewable energy production on brownfield sites using Michigan as a case study. Wind and solar resource maps of Michigan were overlaid with the brownfield locations based on estimates of brownfield land capacity. The total estimated energy potential available on Michigan's brownfield sites is 4320 megawatts (MW) of plate capacity for wind and 1535for solar, equating to 43% of Michigan's residential electricity consumption (using 30% capacity factor). Estimated economic impacts include over $15 billion in investments and 17,500 in construction and long-term jobs.Brownfields Renewable energy Adaptive reuse