In the News

Creativity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 16, 2012

Intuitively it's kind of a no-brainer: Creativity begets invention which begets entrepreneurial endeavors. Still, it's nice to see Richard Florida put some numbers to the theory. Good numbers.

Excerpt:

"The size of the creative class is "positively and significantly associated with the total of establishment growth in a region, the number of new opened establishments and the expansion of existing establishments," they find. Furthermore, they write that “regions of all sizes primarily experience growth through the creation of new establishments, and that growth is always, significantly, and positively associated with regional creative employment."

Read the rest here.

NYC foodies tour Metro Detroit eateries

New York Food Journal Thursday, August 16, 2012

What did Big Apple foodies think of the local cuisine? American Coney Island: Yay! Slows Bar-B-Q: Meh. Taqueria Lupita's: Where's the beer? Good Girls Go To Paris: Yay! Al-Ameer Restaurant: Spectacular.

Excerpt:

"A drive out to the Henry Ford Museum gave us the opportunity to sample the excellent Middle Eastern food to be found in Dearborn, Michigan. After some research, we decided to stop at Al-Ameer, a casual and authentic spot with locations in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. We were glad we did."

Read the rest here.

An Economic Case For Public Art

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 09, 2012

The argument is all-too familiar - public art is nice but we don't need it and we can't afford it. The Atlantic Cities rebutts this claim with specific examples of how public art has contributed to a community's bottom line.

Excerpt:

"The intangible benefits of public art—aesthetic beauty, cultural interpretation, education, inspiration, and general improvement of the urban environment—are well-known. But because these are considered "soft" benefits, they are sometimes dismissed as a low priority, especially during challenging economic times. However, experiences in Los Angeles show that public art can be a source of publicity and cash income, as well as beauty."

Read the rest here.

Late night eats in metro Detroit

Detroit Free Press Thursday, August 09, 2012

It's midnight Saturday and you're hankering for something other than drive-thru junk food. Where do you go? The Detroit Free Press has put together a list of 13 eateries that offer more than just "fries with that."

Excerpt:

"It's not a comprehensive list but rather a representative sample taking into account a diversity of food, style, price, atmosphere and geography. Here were the parameters: Each place had to serve until at least midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 p.m. on weekdays, though some allowances were made if the kitchen closed a little earlier at the beginning of the week. The availability of alcohol was a must."

Read the rest here.

Maker Faire founder says metro Detroit is embracing DIY

The Huffington Post Thursday, August 09, 2012

For anyone who has attended Detroit Maker faire at the Henry Ford, it's pretty darn clear what a spectacularly innovative and engaging event it is. From robots to flame throwers to the world's biggest game of mousetrap, this festival of eccentric inventors and clever construction is a cornucopia of do-it-yourself innovation. Faire co-creator Dale Dougherty agrees.

Excerpt:

"You don't have to say it's just Detroit vs. the Bay area, but Detroit doesn't necessarily get the visibility of what people are doing there. I thought the purpose of a Maker Faire was to show all the good work that's going on here, and it's as good as anywhere.

We have more tractors here. We have more Model T's here. I think what's special is there is a legacy here of manufacturing and tinkering that I think people have been brought up in, and it's close to them.

And to some degree it feels more real here than in the Bay area."

Read the rest of the interview here.

Playgrounds for adults could be the next big thing

The New York Times Thursday, August 09, 2012

New York City is installing adult playgrounds in various parks around the city. How cool is that? Think metro Detroit should take cue...?

Excerpt:

"Never mind the punishing diets, the gym dates and the doctors’ warnings, the quest to live a healthier, more active lifestyle has come to this: playgrounds for adults.

New York City is testing its first such playground in Macombs Dam Park in the Bronx, and plans to bring as many as two dozen more to neighborhoods across the five boroughs in the next 18 months, park officials said.

The goal is to lure people off their couches and into the outdoors with specially designed playground equipment — in grown-up shades like forest green and beige — that recall the joy of childhood play while tightening up flabby abs, thighs and triceps. "

Read the rest here.

Take a poll on the subject here.

Michigan film industry gasping but still alive

Detroit Free Press Thursday, August 02, 2012

Governor Snyder's opposition and capping of the Mitten's film incentive program all but gutted what was once a growing --albeit expensive-- industry. Still, there are glimmers of hope. The legislature doubleed the capped amount and smaller productions are still popping up. The Freep covers a recently shot indie starring Benicio Del Toro.

Excerpt:

"Although shooting in metro Detroit under the Michigan film incentives has slowed to a trickle, the set was an upbeat place for the local contingent of roughly 20 actors and 75 crew members -- high numbers for an indie that has about the same number of out-of-state actors and about 40 out-of-state crew members.

"Picard" gave the local film community a chance to work on something meaningful -- and, just as critically, to work at all during a year when reduced incentives have led to fewer job opportunities.

The movie was approved for just under $2 million in incentives on an estimated $6.9 million of spending in the state."

Read the rest here.

Art is for Everyone opens HQ in Ferndale

Ferndale115 Thursday, August 02, 2012

The DIA belongs to everyone in Metro Detroit and the organization supporting the multi-county tax that will insure its survival has temporarily opened an office in a burb known for its progressive-leaning values.

Excerpt:

"So far there have been over 4,500 phone calls made from the Ferndale office alone.

“Not robo-calls,” Fritz said. “We’ve got volunteers that come in, and over the next week there will be different groups every evening.”

“Having volunteers is better because they can listen to the people they call and answer any questions.”

The Ferndale office has also sold over 1,000 yard signs at $5 a pop. Former City Councilperson Kate Baker jumped in to help the campaign sell yard signs, raising $415 for the campaign."

Read the rest of the story here.

What does a great walkable city look like?

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 02, 2012

Copenhagen provides an example for how walkable (and attractive) a couple of city blocks can be. Notice, in particular, how close shops are to the street, how small but heavily used the public park space is? Instead of thinking in terms of what we do with whole city blocks maybe Ann Arbor can take a lesson and see how many things can be done on a single block.

Excerpt:

"The square itself is anchored by a single tree in the center, surrounded by benches and more cafes. Small Streets says it's only about a half-acre, but it's quite obviously enough to create a sense of place, somewhere we want to be to relax and enjoy a drink, meal and conversation.

This is all rather simple, and Small Streets presents it in a more engaging fashion than I do here. But simplicity is kind of the point. The amount of density and building stock is just enough to entice and relax without creating a feeling of being overwhelmed or crowded. I would love to have more spaces like this in my own city."

Read the rest here.

Or, if you want to dig deeper, read the blog that inspired the piece here.

Coldwell Banker picks 5 metro Detroit cities as hippest in Michigan

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Thursday, July 26, 2012

Coldwell Banker Real Estate has started to enter the "Best Of" game, ranking communities by what they think their customers are seeking. For their first (of five) lists they evaluated the social scene in cities around the country and picked the places they thought were hippest. Nothing in Michigan made the Top 10, but within the Mitten Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Huntington Woods, and Rochester came out as tops.

Check out their list here.

Royal Oak says okay to bikeshaws

WDIV Detroit Thursday, July 26, 2012

With it's vibrant downtown, loft housing options, and ever-growing "sense of place," Royal Oak has been one of metro Detroit's fastest evolving communities. And since it's a mystery as to when rail will ever make it to the Woodward Avenue corridor it was inevitable someone would introduce some alternative transportation. Meet bike taxi service driver Sean Paraventi.

Excerpt:

"From Thursday to Sunday, now until the snow gets in the way, Paraventi plans to be out in Royal Oak with his bikeshaw, offering rides. He already has pedaled his way into the hearts of Royal Oak regulars such as Karen Mchugh.

Bikeshaw in Royal Oak "I think it's really comfortable, much more than I thought it would be," Mchugh said. "Sean seems in tune with the safety and watching out for cars and people as well.""

Read / watch the rest here.

Richard Florida asks: Is Detroit becoming a suburb?

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, July 26, 2012

In a provocative article, the Creative Class guru talks about the distinction between city and suburb today. He compares Motown to Urban-burbs like Ferndale, Royal Oak, Birmingham and Ann Arbor, metro Detrtoit communities that are evolving their urban design to adapt to changing community standards.

Excerpt:

"The old distinctions between "city" and "suburb" do seem to be blurring. Urban neighborhoods are improving safety, upgrading schools, adding parks and bike lanes to their existing urban fabric, while suburban ones are adding density, walkability and mixed-use districts to their existing safe streets and good schools."

Read the rest here.

Beaumont and U-M Hospital top U.S. News best list

U.S. News & World Report Thursday, July 19, 2012

Those U.S. News chaps sure do like their lists. Must be some money in them, huh? Seems they've changed their creteria and that has resulted in a shake-up of sorts (reputation is no longer weighted). Along with ranking Michigan hospitals for their quality of care they've picked U-M in Ann Arbor (ranked 17th overall) as among the best in the nation. Beaumont in Royal Oak came in number 2 in the Mitten with 10 nationally ranked soecialities.

You can see the rankings here.

Crain's has a write-up here.

Metro Detroit dollars go far

Forbes Thursday, July 19, 2012

Sometimes it's not about where all the wealth is. Sometimes it's what you can afford. And when it comes to affordable living (or, what a salary is worth), Metro Detroit is in the top three regions of the country.

Excerpt:

"One major surprise is the metro area in third place: Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. This can be explained by the relatively high wages paid in the resurgent auto industry and, as we have reported earlier, a huge surge in well-paying STEM (science, technology, engineering and math-related) jobs. Combine this with some of the most affordable housing in the nation and sizable reductions in unemployment — down 5% in Michigan over the past two years, the largest such drop in the nation. This longtime sad sack region has reason to feel hopeful."

Read the rest here.

See the top ten here.

Walkable places in demand and getting top dollar

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, July 12, 2012

Metromode has always known that walkable communties with density are more attractive to professionla folks... but we had no idea they were as attractive (re: expensive) as Brookings Institute researchers Christopher Leinberger and Mariela Alfonzo reveal in a new study.

Excerpt:

Instinct probably tells you that you’ll pay a lot more to live in a downtown apartment, above a grocery store, next to a bar strip and within walking distance of your work place than you will to settle into a comparable home in a bedroom community outside of the city. As this model of compact urban living grows more popular – and every new housing projection reaffirms that it is – walkable places are also growing more expensive.

Just how much more expensive, though, may shock you. New research from the Brookings Institution has created a five-tiered scale of walkability for metropolitan neighborhoods, from completely non-walkable places (exurban residential communities where everyone gets around by car) to mixed-use, dense and amenity-rich neighborhoods where you may not need a car at all (think, in the Washington, D.C., region, Dupont Circle and Georgetown).

Read the rest here.