Decorative Trash Compactors in Traverse City Placemaking Photo by Michigan Municipal League
The Michigan Municipal League has identified eight assets that make vibrant communities, such as walkability, cultural and economic development, green initiatives, education, multiculturalism and entrepreneurship. The League is continually visiting Michigan communities to view these assets in action. These photos are from a June 2013 visit to beautiful Traverse City off Lake Michigan. Traverse City embodies many of the placemaking assets people seek today - an array of businesses, restaurants and shops within easy walking distance from residential neighborhoods, public transit, entrepreneurship, cultural amenities, such as art sculptures, a public beach, and an overall inviting environment, including water outside storefronts to encourage dog walkers and welcoming signs, such as "public restroom inside" and "outside food welcome". Placemaking is about creating communities from one that you can't wait to get through to ones you never want to leave. Traverse City is most definitely the latter. The League regularly posts photos from these visits here in this collection on flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/michigancommunities/collections/721.... Learn more about placemaking here (placemaking.mml.org/) and here www.economicsofplace.com/.