Michigan

Research: Walkability Linked to Improved Public Health
A study reveals that the density of city blocks is a significant factor in communities’ walkability and, subsequently, improved public health outcomes for residents.

Detroit Transit Agency Requests $20M Budget Increase
The Detroit Department of Transportation wants to boost ridership by hiring more drivers, buying new buses, and enhancing station infrastructure.

Analysis: Just 5 Percent of Detroit Bus Stops Have Shelters
The city’s thousands of bus stops are sorely lacking in seating and shelters to protect riders from rain, snow, and sun.

Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

Oak Survival in the Great Lakes: Adapting to a Changing World
Climate change is endangering oaks in the Great Lakes region by increasing their vulnerability to pests, diseases, and extreme weather, threatening their vital ecological role.

Electric Car Share Comes to Detroit’s Eastside
The program is operated by the Eastside Community Network and funded through the U.S. Department of Energy.

Michigan Lawmakers Urged to Pass Housing Laws
A raft of proposed bills would protect renters from steep rent increases and ban discrimination based on criminal record and source of income, but the legislature only has a short amount of time to pass them.

Checking in on Detroit’s Housing Renaissance
Efforts by the city and residents have generated 17,000 new housing units in the last five years.

‘Ground-Breaking’ Settlement Reached in Detroit Environmental Justice Case
Civil rights activists celebrate a legal settlement that will require the state of Michigan to prevent hazardous waste and other industrial facilities from disproportionately polluting lower income and predominantly Black and brown communities.

Michigan Court Green-Lights State Regulation of Livestock Manure
A recent court decision has granted Michigan regulators full authority to hold animal agriculture accountable for manure runoff into waterways.

Judge Overturns Township’s Ban on Cemeteries
Brooks Township in Michigan ran afoul of the state constitution when it instituted a blanket cemetery ban with the intent to block a green cemetery.

Michigan Transit Systems Awarded Federal Grants for Clean Vehicles
Federal grants are helping to ease the transition to electric and hybrid buses.

Michigan Lawmakers Consider $2B Transit Bill
The bill would tie transit funding to business subsidies as part of a broader economic development program.

Michigan Proposal to Attract Data Centers Garners Criticism
The state legislature is poised to pass a law that would bring more data centers to the state, but critics say the move would threaten the state’s climate goals.

Michigan DOT Nixes Ann Arbor Highway Expansion
In response to public feedback, the Michigan Department of Transportation is no longer considering options to widen U.S. 23 on Ann Arbor’s east side.

Michigan Considers Mileage-Based Road Usage Fee Pilot Program
Exploring alternative road funding options is a priority for Michigan legislators to make up the state’s road funding gap.

Detroit Metro Testing ‘Smart Road’ Tech
Sensors installed along a segment of Interstate 94 could help improve safety, limit speeding, and alert officials to potholes and debris.

Lead Pipes Make Up Nearly One Tenth of US Water Service Lines
A decade after the Flint crisis captured national attention, tens of thousands of US water transmission lines can still leach dangerous chemicals.
Grand Rapids Passes Zoning Reform Package
The new rules aim to make it easier to build small multifamily housing developments.

Ann Arbor Calls for Highway Bus Service
The city council voted unanimously in support of a plan to build more transit and park-and-ride options rather than expand a highway with more car lanes.
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