Community: Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, and Royal Oak together
Population: 10,000+
Three newly-elected leaders were inspired to advance not only their own communities, but to transform their region. They rallied together, established guiding principles, and formed a collaborative foundation that unified the 27-mile Woodward Ave. corridor around a shared, common vision of safe, reliable transit options as a “linear city.” They secured funding, engaged the public, produced high quality materials, and positioned the region for a promising future. The momentum, engagement, and results continue — and the long-lasting relationships enable them to embrace new challenges and deliver results together.
Replicability:
The guiding principles, collaborative approaches, and shared desires exhibited in this project are easy to replicate in any community(ies) that have diverse perspectives and opinions -- and yet share an overarching desire to advance as one and achieve together what would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish alone.
Creativity and Originality:
The spark began with three newly-elected officials who wanted to be successful both within their respective cities and also as a broader region. The team engaged with one another, and with their colleagues and the public, in creative ways, and the team creatively harnessed the power of emergent opportunities rather than seeing obstacles as challenges on the path to defeat.
Community Impact:
The project has unified 11 communities across a 27-mile landmark asset, enabled and ensured high-quality materials and mindset on regional transit, and positioned them for additional opportunities and successes to come. Furthermore, the group is now supporting a broader regional dialogue that spans four counties in southeast Michigan.
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Project Multimedia:
Project PowerPoint - Transforming Woodward Together
