Exploring Where Well-Off People Recreate and Not-So-Well-Off People Get Around in Northern Michigan’s Capital
I recently took a spin around Traverse City to explore where the well-off recreate, and the not-so-well-off get themselves to the places they need to go here in northern Michigan’s capital.
From newly built multi-million dollar bridges around Boardman Lake to our bayside recreational path, soon receiving ~$1M to be widened to 16ft, running and biking in Traverse City for tourists and well-off locals is as good as it gets.
However, near places like Kings Court, Oak Terrace Apartments, Pete’s Place, and the Goodwill Inn, people in Traverse City who are less well-off don’t have it as well.
They often have to use goat paths like those below.
Maybe if we’re going to continue to count, measure, value, and give more $ to well-off people who recreate, we can do the same for less well-off people who are just trying to get around.
PRIORITIZING VALUES
Instead of valuing what we measure:
- # of well-off people who recreate around Boardman Lake or on the bay
Let’s measure what we value*:
- # of people, regardless of their financial means or ability to own a car, who are able to safely get to the places they need to go here in northern Michigan’s capital
* assuming we care about poor people here in Traverse City
If we can reframe our priorities through a lens of fairness and justice, I’m hopeful we can do better.
Because as Eric Liu reminds us, “We’re all better off when we’re all better off”.
