A Brief Summary
Out of control development is destroying our state; paving over some of our most valued natural places, transforming farmland into developments and leaving behind a legacy of air and water pollution.

• As a result of unmanaged growth, traffic is getting worse. As developers build further out from the city, more cars are drawn on to the roads causing more congestion. In the last 10 years, the number of miles driven in Michigan has increased by nearly 25 percent.

• We are losing over 10 acres of open space and farmland every hour to more strip malls and subdivisions. Almost half of all Michigan wetlands have been destroyed.

• Michigan's second largest industry, agriculture, is threatened by this uncontrolled growth as well. Between 1982 and 1992, over 12,000 farms were lost.

• Uncontrolled growth is costing us money. A 1997 SEMCOG survey of 18 Michigan communities found that reducing sprawl would save taxpayers in those communities over $80 million.

Despite the large developer lobby trying to convince Lansing lawmakers to do nothing, we have an opportunity to pass policies that would stop sprawl and promote smart growth alternatives. A bipartisan task force, the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council, helped to develop tools that will curb sprawl. Now Governor Granholm and the state legislature need to take an active role in helping to turn these recommendations into reality. More.

Campaigns

Preserving Michigan: Out of control development is destroying our state; paving over some of our most valued natural places, transforming farmland into developments and leaving behind a legacy of air and water pollution. PIRGIM is working to stop sprawl and promote smart growth alternatives that will protect the places that make Michigan great. More.

Campaign For Transportation Choices: Lately, we're spending more and more time on the road, commuting further for work and further to shop. The state's plan for solving our traffic problems is, as usual, spending more money on more roads. But we have more roads than ever and, while we pave over Michigan's farmland and open spaces, congestion is only getting worse. PIRGIM is working to reroute state transportation dollars into plans that will stop sprawl and reduce congestion. More.

News Releases
• Joint Planning Authority Available Now 12/18/03
• New Report Finds Communities In Michigan Subsidizing Sprawl: Financial Tools To Curb Sprawl Remain Untapped 11/24/03
• Key Land Use Legislation Moves To Governor's Desk: Joint Planning Empowers Communities, Slows Sprawl 11/13/03
• Advocates Deliver Smart Growth Message From 10,000 Michiganders, Call on Governor And Legislature To Take Action On Urban Sprawl 7/31/03
• New Report Details Growth Threats To Saugatuck Dunes, Ottawa County Farmland: New Report Highlights Need For Regional Land Use Planning, Open Space Preservation 6/10/03
• Michigan Communities Targeted For Growth Control Measures 3/1/01
• Centers For Disease Control Says Urban Sprawl Poses Danger To Public Health 11/1/01

Reports
• Development Impact Fees in Michigan: A Tool to Stop Sprawl Subsidies and Promote Efficient Growth 11/24/03 (PDF)
• Michigan's Natural Heritage At Risk: Preserving Open Spaces and Special Places from Uncontrolled Development 6/10/03
• Coordinated Planning In Michigan: Three Case Studies 3/1/02 (PDF)

Testimony
• Members of the House Committee on Land Use and Environment on creating the Joint Planning Act 4/2/03