In 2013, the Michigan Sense of Place Council, representing numerous state agencies under the direction of Governor Snyder, engaged in a partnership with Smart Growth America to provide technical advisory services to six communities of Michigan pursuing livable communities initiatives. The six communities were the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), ReImagine Washtenaw (Washtenaw County), the TriCounty Council of Governments, the City of Grand Rapids, the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, and the City of Marquette. As part of the Federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities program, the program seeks to coordinate federal funding directed to housing, transportation, and other infrastructure in communities to create more livable places where people can access jobs while reducing pollution and also saving time and money.

The assistance was in two primary areas – community mobility management and strategic transportation demand management (TDM). The Michigan Street corridor livability effort in Grand Rapids focused on TDM to support and sustain the growth of the “Medical Mile” and leverage and connect that growth to other areas of the city. The Michigan Street Corridor plan is a comprehensive, stakeholder-lead initiative to holistically integrate housing, economic and community development, transportation and environmental design to strengthen Grand Rapids and advance the West Michigan region.

The project progressed in three distinct stages: 1) review of national leading practices and assessment of existing local resources and opportunities, 2) discussion of alternative approaches and strategies, and finally 3) development of an action strategy for implementation. This report is the culmination of these three phases and their associated findings.