PlacePlans, a demonstration and technical assistance program developed in 2012 under the auspices of the statewide MIplace Partnership, with lead sponsorship from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, focused on assisting cities, selected through a competitive process, with the development of visionary yet realistic strategies to redevelop a key walkable, mixed-use area of their community. The League, along with faculty and students from Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction and MSU Extension, worked with community leaders, residents, anchor institutions and expert consultants to bring the best practices in placemaking and civic engagement to bear in a customized way for each of the 22 participating cities.

The program partners developed PlacePlans with multiple goals:

Help individual communities achieve greater economic success through placemaking projects

Test some of the placemaking innovations and different approaches that were cropping up around the nation and the world

Identify key themes and lessons that lead to success or failure in communities big and small

Evaluation of PlacePlans Experiences

In 2016, the League partnered with Wayne State University’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning to do an evaluation of participants’ experiences with the PlacePlans program.Â Respondents from participating cities felt overwhelmingly positively about PlacePlans and its impact on local placemaking efforts. Notably, even where communities had not yet undertaken any physical implementation of their plan, many respondents reported improved community engagement and discussion as a result of the process. Download the full report for details.

PlacePlans Projects