what is placemaking?

Southeast Michigan’s portfolio of unique places, or regional Place assets, features quality-of-life amenities. These include the Great Lakes and natural areas that support recreational and cultural assets; historic downtowns, dynamic urban centers and diverse neighborhoods; accessible mobility options for people and goods; high quality universities, colleges, and local school systems; first-class medical facilities and healthcare choices; and much more. These are the things that make Southeast Michigan a desirable location to live, work, visit, and conduct business. When people and businesses look to locate, remain, or grow, they look beyond the site, the neighborhood, community, or even the county. They look to the region for the collection and variety of places, assets, and attributes that make a place most attractive to providing a high quality of life. As such, Place is a key pillar for a strong regional economy.

The work that SEMCOG and our members are engaged in day-to-day support the principles of placemaking and enhance the region’s capacity to attract and maintain residents and businesses.

The following tools and resources are available to create, enhance, and market quality places across the region:

SEMCOG Placemaking Tools and Resources

SEMCOG has a number of resources available to communities interested in expanding placemaking efforts including direct funding and planning tools:

  • Location Analysis & Visitation Tool, powered by Placer AI, provides detailed data analysis for location, visitation, and foot traffic.
  • Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a competitive grant program available through SEMCOG, provides funding for projects to enhance pedestrian safety, walkability, and downtown accessibility.
  • Planning Assistance Program, a competitive grant program available through SEMCOG, provides direct funding for local planning projects including corridor development, placemaking, and trails.
  • Local Technical Assistance, a member service provided by SEMCOG, is one-on-one technical assistance for local challenges, guidance on integrating regional plans, and assistance with finding funding and resources for local projects.
  • SEMCOG’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, a regional plan that includes strategies and goals for local and regional placemaking, can be used by local communities as a supporting document when applying for grants.
  • The SEMCOG blog contains articles on main streets, downtowns, parks and natural assets in Southeast Michigan, and the Regional Update Newsletter includes placemaking funding opportunities as they become available.
  • The On-Demand Webinar Library provides access to recordings of past SEMCOG University webinars that can be viewed any time.

Experience Southeast Michigan Videos

Previously called Shop Local, SEMCOG’s Experience Southeast Michigan video series provides a glimpse of the countless shopping, dining, cultural, entertainment, and recreational experiences available to Southeast Michigan’s residents and visitors. In partnership with SEMCOG member communities, we produce these videos to help promote parks, trails, businesses, and experiences that make the Southeast Michigan lifestyle what it is. To learn more about how to have a video produced for your community and access the video library, visit the Experience Southeast Michigan webpage.