Discovering and applying new and innovative economic development tools, models, policies, and programs
Creating Jobs and Wealth in Distressed Michigan Communities
2019: Marrying Community Benefits and Development Practice
Co-Learning Plan - 2019
Authors: Sam Butler, Doing Development Differently in Detroit (D4) and Francis Grunow, Consultant
Summary
After exhaustive study and evaluation, D4 has concluded that in order for community benefits to be effective in Michigan, they need to be embedded early in the development process. But how to effect these policies without driving away private investment remains a key question. Building from previous preliminary research, D4's project will describe recommendations for how to insert community benefit provisions into standard development processes, including RFPs, TIFs, and incentive overlay districts.
Author Information
Sam Butler, Doing Development Differently in Detroit (D4)
Sam Butler has over a decade of experience working with community groups throughout the City of Detroit, leading neighborhood planning processes, and conducting residential and commercial market analyses for low-income neighborhoods. Prior to D4, Sam was the Director of Planning & Technical Programs at Michigan Community Resources and served as Interim Executive Director of Creekside CDC. Sam has a master of urban planning from the University of Michigan.
Francis Grunow, Consultant
Francis Grunow is a native Detroiter, urban policy consultant, writer, and part-time parade maker. In previous lives, he has been a law student, director of Detroit's architectural preservation organization, Midtown retailer, documentary filmmaker, and an urban planner in New York City. Francis loves cities, believes that they contain more answers than questions, and believes one of Detroit's more compelling lenses for policy work right now is D4's ability to offer multiple perspectives on the complex issues facing the city.
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