Placemaking is all about creating unique and vibrant places to enhance our quality of life and to attract talent and businesses. A metropolitan area comprises dozens of unique places, and if a region wants to strategically improve its economic conditions, it must have many vibrant, interesting, and diverse places in which to live, work, and play.

There are many improvements to local places that will make the region more competitive in the global New Economy and should start by targeting a smaller set of places that could benefit from improvement aimed at making them more attractive for employees, tourists, business owners, and young knowledge workers.  Each of these improvements will require the efforts of the local units of government working in concert with the Michigan Department of Transportation, local road authorities, and the local business community.

Improved Transit Connections between the downtown of East Lansing and Lansing, as well as other vibrant areas across the region will help expand business activity and increase residential density at key transit nodes.  A regional view of transportation is required, across jurisdictional boundaries and across all transportation modes.  Green Infrastructure Connections, such as a regional trails plan, will be a key placemaking activity that can build on the substantial trails network that is already in place in Lansing, East Lansing, Williamston, Mason, Grand Ledge, and many adjoining communities.