The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda
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Our Goal
I like the dreams of the future better than
the history of the past - Thomas Jefferson
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Our Goal

• To create the kind of
• Michigan we want . . .
• With places people choose to live, work, learn
  and play
• Where prosperity happens (high income and low
  unemployment)

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Our Goal

• The industries I think about most are far more
  sensitive to the quality of TALENT in the AREA
  than they are to tax policies.
• - Bill Gates

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Our Goal

• Prosperity happens . . .
• Where high concentrations of college educated,
  talented and creative people live.
• These same people can choose to live, work, learn
  and play where ever they want.
• Metro areas and central cities are key.

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Name This City . . .
Fast Companys Global City of the Year Its
shockingly expensive. The roads are jammed with
traffic. The subway systems hopeless, and the
buses no better. Theres a surveillance camera on
every other corner, and the sidewalks are strewn
with litter. The biggest airport is a joke. The
richest residents are fleeing or threatening to
the poorest have been chased out into the suburbs
by soaring prices. And the weather sucks.
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Tokyo? LA? Rio? Beijing? Wrong!

• London
• Its creative, young, diverse, vibrant
• 32 of Londoners were born outside the U.K.
• 150,000 immigrate to London yearly
• 1 in 8 Londoners work in a creative industry

• 70 are under 45
• 38 is green or open space (NY is 14)
• Londoners went from thinking as a manufacturing
  city to thinking and working globally
• Londons creative resurgence is rooted in the
  citys changing sense of itself

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Our Goal

• What Michigan can learn from prosperous states .
  . .
• People choose places like Chicago, Minneapolis,
  Boston, Denver, Charlotte, Dallas, Austin and
  other communities that offer the lifestyle
  attributes and amenities they seek.
• These places offer ways of life attractive to
  talented, educated people.
• The public policies they have adopted are
  creating the prospering places Michigan needs .
  . .

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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Significant Public Transit Systems
• Buses Light Rail Commuter Rail
  Passenger Rail Driving Alternatives
  Extensive Networks of Bike Lanes Walking Trails

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Prospering Places Offer . . .
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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Vibrant Downtowns Neighborhoods
• People live, work, learn, play and shop in close
  proximity
• Policies foster walkable urbanism

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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Mixed-use Developments
• Buildings tend to go up instead of out
• People live, work and shop under the same roof

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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Green Spaces
• Parks Trails Gardens Fountains

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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Thriving Entertainment Cultural Attractions
• Restaurants Cafes Bars Book Stores
  Dance Clubs Museums Libraries Theaters
  Nightclubs Live Music

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Prospering Places Offer . . .

• Economic Development Initiatives
• Growing local economies by 1, 2 and 3 jobs
  through strategies like economic gardening and
  support for entrepreneurs.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• What is our Prosperity Agenda?
• Prosperity Policies and Policy Actions so that
  together with the 95th Legislature, we can create
  places of prosperity in Michigan.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity Policy
• Significantly expand public transit in Michigan.
• Policy Action
• The League-founded Get Michigan Moving coalition
  is working to pass public policies that will
  advance transit expansion across Michigan. Visit
  GetMichiganMoving.org for more information.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Michigan Municipal League
• Transportation Riders United
• Detroit Regional Chamber

• MI Environmental Council
• Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
• MI Railroad Passengers Association

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity Policy
• Protect public safety and other essential local
  services.
• Policy Action
• The Michigan Legislature must
• recommit to revenue sharing
• give locals the flexibility to control tax
  dollars and costs in their own budgets
• provide state resources to developed areas for
  services and job development
• grant locals the flexibility to offer revenue
  options for services demanded by citizens

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity Policy
• Use federal stimulus funds to restore local
  infrastructures first.
• Policy Action
• Federal stimulus funds should be used to restore
  deteriorating roads, bridges and water and sewer
  systems before being spent building new roads.
  These fix-it first projects will
• Create thousands of jobs
• Encourage business investments
• Reduce pollution
• Improve energy efficiency in communities with
  aging infrastructures
• Jumpstart 21st century communities

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity Policy
• Give communities all available tools to manage
  costs and control
• revenues.
• Policy Action
• Reform PA 312 to enable local governments to
  appropriately manage their revenues and costs and
  allow communities to put more police and
  firefighters on the street by effectively
  distributing the limited funds available.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity PolicyPromote sustainable
  development, green initiatives and cultural
  economic development.
• Policy Action
• The Legislature and Governor must support laws
  that promote sustainable development, green
  initiatives and cultural economic development.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• If Minneapolis, Denver, Chicago and Boston can
  you say snowy and cold! can have these places,
  Michigan can too.
• The public policies proposed in the Prosperity
  Agenda can help us create them.
• Together with the 95th Legislature, and with the
  Michigan Municipal League Prosperity Agenda, we
  can have the Michigan we want.

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda

• Prosperity Agenda in hard copy available
• Also available at mml.org

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The Leagues Prosperity Agenda