This is an update to a six-story series — “A Better Traverse City Parkway”. Read #1 (Imagination, Attention and Action Required), #2 (What Now?), #3 (What’s Important to You?), #4 (An Opportunity), #5 (Negotiation) and #6 (Endgame) I’m not going to lie, it’s been nearly two months, and the Traverse…

After two outstanding workshops with the FrameWorks Institute this spring, we’re excited to launch Adventures in Framing: A Northern Michigan Community of Practice in June. What’s Framing? In short, it’s the social science of communication choices made. About elements put in and elements left out. These choices have a significant effect on…

This is the sixth story of the “A Better Traverse City Parkway” series. Read #1 (Imagination, Attention and Action Required), #2 (What Now?), #3 (What’s Important to You?), #4 (An Opportunity), and #5 (Negotiation) Traverse City’s most important public works project of my generation is nearing its planning endgame. This…

This is the first story in my “Adventures In Framing” series as a 2022 Rotary Charities Changemaker Fellow — a three-year fellowship with the FrameWorks Institute to bring the social science of framing to northern Michigan to better drive change. I love learning what to do but, I also appreciate…

This is the fifth story of the “A Better Traverse City Parkway” series. Read #1 (Imagination, Attention and Action Required), #2 (What Now?), #3 (What’s Important to You?) and #4 (An Opportunity) I try not to worry about things that are out of my control. And until recently, one of…

This is the fourth story of the “Better Traverse City Parkway” series. Read #1 (Imagination, Attention and Action Required), #2 (What Now?), and #3 (What’s Important to You?). Last week, the Traverse City City Commission shared that the 1947 agreement between Traverse City and the Michigan Department of Transportation is…

This is the third story of the “Better Traverse City Parkway” series. Read #1 (Imagination, Attention and Action Required) and #2 (What now?) Last week, the City Commission voted unanimously to direct the City Attorney to engage outside counsel to write a legal opinion on the 1947 agreement between Traverse…

Last week I published “Imagination, Attention and Action Required” ahead of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s virtual meetings on the redesign of Traverse City’s Parkway. I attended parts of both of these virtual meetings. Their presentation was thorough but, I thought the public input process — type your question into…

60 years ago, we made a mistake. My friend, neighbor, and mentor Bob Otwell reminded me of that mistake in his recent Traverse City Record-Eagle forum, “Don’t rebuild Parkway without public input.” He wrote: In Traverse City, we owe our forefathers thanks along with criticism. We are forever grateful for…