Making Place for Impact

• Creating public spaces provides hope for communities and showcases tangible evidence that things can improve.

• Investing in and building places that center around community voice and economic development is critical to the Detroit Region’s economic vitality.

• Stakeholders must continue collaborating and using their collective voices to uplift communities and create spaces that residents want to live, work, and play in.

Investing in and building places centered around community voice and economic development is critical to the Detroit Region’s economic vitality and growth. This session, hosted by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, informed business and industry leaders about how they can benefit from increased regional coordination and collaboration in building communities that attract and retain talent and support economic prosperity. 

“I could stand here and speak the whole time about the importance of developing place,” began Egner. “Whether we are talking about talent attraction, talent retention, economic development, or home values within miles of trails and parks, the data is overwhelming.”

When asked about the importance of placemaking in Port Huron and its surrounding communities, Maiers stressed the hope it brings to the community, saying, “It does bring hope. It does bring faith. It brings belief that things can get better.”

Invest Detroit’s Strategic Neighborhood Fund focuses on “placekeeping” as opposed to “placemaking,” which entails listening to residents who call these neighborhoods home.

Tighe focused on the way places, like parks and trails, connect communities figuratively and literally, uniting people, providing transportation alternatives, and creating recreational opportunities.

Investing in the community and creating spaces people want to congregate around is essential to economic development.  

The completion of the Joe Louis Greenway provided “visible, tangible evidence” that neighborhoods typically overlooked and underinvested in were finally receiving the attention they deserved, stated Medley. Completing the project led to residents investing their hard-earned money into redeveloping five homes along the Greenway.  

Data supports that businesses are thriving around these spaces that are being created in the Region. 

“We are seeing businesses thrive around these spaces because of the recreational landscape in Michigan,” emphasized Tighe, saying intentional spaces attract and retain talent in Michigan, enticing individuals to live, work, and play in the state. 

The value of public spaces should not be questioned, and organizations do not want to break promises with the community and tarnish relationships that took years to cultivate. Ruffin warned of the consequences of scarce resources, which include losing collaboration between partners. He also focused on the role microgrants play, noting that communities “are desperate to see something tangible,” whether that be community gardens, gazebos for prom photos, or communal fireplaces for bonfires.

As the conversation drew to a close, audience members were left inspired and empowered.

“We cannot just lie down because of the current political climate … as a group, we need to say we are not going to accept this,” rallied Medley. “This is not our value. This is not how we want our country to be. We do not want to sell off our public spaces.”

This 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference session was hosted by Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.