It was a great pleasure last week to see 28 of SEMCOG’s members in our office on Wednesday, when we hosted two events focused on the environment. Several SEMCOG communities participated in both, demonstrating a clear understanding that what is good on a regional level helps each community.
At our SEMCOG University workshop on Partnerships for Parks and Public Places, we debuted our new parks inventory map, Park Finder. It has been several months in the making and houses data on every public and private park in Southeast Michigan. For most of these parks, we already have data showing the park size, type, and what amenities are available. For local communities, this tool will help to enable effective planning and coordination. If your neighboring community already has plenty of tennis courts but is short on walking trails, maybe you can make an investment that helps both places.
Attendees of this workshop also got to hear from the Department of Natural Resources about another great collaboration opportunity: the Metro Detroit Nature Network. Learn more about what this new initiative has already accomplished in another recent SEMCOG blog entry.
In the afternoon that same day, at the Drinking Water Forum, attendees had the opportunity to bring forward input on ways to protect and enhance our region’s drinking water. We are focused on developing the best data and strategies for managing our region’s infrastructure, and drinking water is obviously a major part of that. What we heard will help to guide our policies and the types of assistance we provide to SEMCOG members and will be incorporated into the Water Resources Plan for Southeast Michigan.
This was just one day in regional cooperation, but it was emblematic of the networking, learning, and policy-making opportunities that SEMCOG provides. We appreciate the efforts of all those who show up and work to improve this region’s quality of life.
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