Land Use: A Cooperative Effort

When we talk of land use planning, the saying “think globally, act locally” is especially fitting. The combined effect of land use decisions, particularly along Michigan’s lengthy shoreline, impacts valuable natural resources and ultimately the health of the Great Lakes.

Individual cities, townships and villages around the state exercise land use planning authority. Unfortunately “global thinking” as evidenced by comprehensive planning and regional cooperation is the exception to the rule. Coordinated planning on a broad scale remains rare; individual communities cope as best they can with a complex array of issues.

Land use challenges range from managing explosive population growth and preventing urban sprawl, to redeveloping brownfields and maintaining a healthy economy—all while protecting natural resources and enhancing quality of life. It’s a tall order that has frequently propelled the topic of land use planning into newspaper headlines.

Given the impact of land use practices on our coastal resources, Michigan Sea Grant conducted a survey of more than 300 of the state’s coastal communities to gain a better understanding of how land use decisions are made at the local level. Completed in December 2002, the survey sheds light on the tools, resources and barriers that impact land use planning along Michigan’s Great Lakes shoreline.
By understanding what takes place at the local level, land use organizations and state agencies can more effectively provide assistance in the form of funding, education and planning tools.

This issue of upwellings places Sea Grant’s coastal community survey into the broader context of Michigan’s coastal land use, highlighting land use planning concepts and strategies and presenting the primary environmental impacts on natural resources.

By recognizing the importance of local action and regional cooperation, in combination with new state-level land use initiatives, Michigan communities can begin to “think globally” and pursue a coordinated land use approach that protects entire watersheds, shorelines and, ultimately, the Great Lakes.