Land Use And Liveable Communities

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Near Grand Rapids, a new highway is being constructed over the Thornapple River. PIRGIM Education Fund research has shown that new highways cause increased sprawl and water pollution due to runoff pollution. Photo: Staff

Michigan is characterized by clean lakes, open spaces and close-knit communities, aspects of life that make Michigan a great place to live. Unfortunately, our state doesn't have a good plan to help local communities decide how and where our communities grow, and out-of-control development is permanently altering our state. Whether it is the bulldozing of farmland in Kent County for a new highway, or the presence of a new superstore along I-75 in Oakland County where once there were rolling hills, the reach of this development is staggering.

Protecting Michigan's Natural Heritage
To preserve our forests, wetlands and open spaces, PIRGIM Education Fund conducts research to better understand the effects of sprawl, find solutions to the problems it creates, and prevent future overdevelopment. We also work to curb the effects of sprawl through administrative advocacy and public education.

This June 2003 report detailed the impact that haphazard growth is having on Michigan’s open spaces, agricultural industry and water quality by highlighting eight natural areas around Michigan that are in immediate danger, like the Saugatuck Dunes State Park.

PIRGIM Education Fund believes that the state should create an Office of Smart Growth to increase its role in determining Michigan's future growth, setting statewide goals and providing local governments with the tools and resources they need so that communities, not developers, can direct growth. We publicized problems with sprawl through two reports: Creating a Healthy Environment: The Impact of the Built Environment on Public Health (Fall 2001) and Coordinated Planning in Michigan: Three Case Studies (Spring 2002).

We are pleased to announce that Gov. Granholm issued an executive order on Feb. 28, 2003, creating a bipartisan task force, the Land Use Leadership Council, to address land use issues in Michigan.

As part of our continuing efforts to educate the public and the Land Use Leadership Council about threatened natural areas in Michigan and the need for well-designed growth management policies, PIRGIM Education Fund published Michigan's Natural Heritage at Risk in collaboration with multiple local organizations, such as Friends of the Detroit River and Concerned Citizens of Saugatuck Dunes. We heightened media coverage of the report findings by holding four simultaneous media events across the state to release the report on June 10.

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