It seems like almost every GLUEster has at least a passing interest in architecture and historic preservation.  Illustrious St. Louis GLUEsters Jeff and Randy Vines were the first to articulate to me, very succinctly, “It’s one things our cities have that Sun Belt cities can’t compete with.”  Our historic architecture, our urban fabric, is something that a shiny new city can only dream about.  It’s one of the things Rust Belt enthusiasts talk about when we talk about why we live here, and why we think other people might want to live here if they really knew about it: our authenticity, our sense that our cities came from somewhere.

And you know we can’t help but love it when the national press picks up on it.  This week, a great little piece from the New York Times on the recent development successes in Midtown Detroit–development that was largely dependent on the availability of historic preservation and brownfields tax credits.  Midtown isn’t experiencing this relative stability because of a bunch of new builds.  Hard-working Midtown advocates and developers are taking advantage of the character of the community’s historic building stock.

This just highlights the reasons to stay vigilant in support of historic preservation and brownfields tax credits in your state and at the federal level.  Check out Preservation Action for some resources and links.  I’m trying to put together some info on Michigan’s tax credit, which is up for renewal this year, and will hopefully have more for you next week.

The federal government makes… progress?  Attendees of our 2010 Urban Labs Conference in Cleveland will be excited to know that the Livable Communities Act was passed by Senate committee last week. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-17) introduced the bill in 2009. The bill includes Regeneration Planning Grants, part of the CRSI bill that we discussed in Cleveland. The bill will establish within the Department of Housing and Urban Development a competitive grant program for cities that are dealing with large-scale population losses, like many in the Midwest. Among the suggestions by the bill’s sponsors were using the funds to “demolish abandoned properties, find innovative uses for old structures, and create green space.”

Brown’s goal is to “make our communities places where people want to live and work – places that can attract and retain our home-grown young people.” We at GLUE believe that CRSI is an important step towards realizing that goal. This legislation, though it does not implement CRSI in its entirety, is a good start. It will be especially helpful to revitalizing the cities we live in, and has the potential to make a huge difference in the physical spaces around us (and, by extension, the communities we are a part of).
[The Office of Sen. Sherrod Brown]

Lost in all the news of other elections and other transit-related steps forward, Southeast Michigan voters approved a millage renewal of SMART buses on August 3. SMART provides transit for three counties in and around Detroit. If the renewal had not been approved, route and service cuts would have been inevitable. This is an important result, and a victory for mass transit. [Freep]

As many of you (at least in Michigan) have probably heard, major steps were taken earlier this week towards a light rail line in Detroit. Over the course of the next year, the federal government will be conducting an environmental impact survey in order to judge the viability of a rail line from Hart Plaza (on the riverfront in downtown Detroit) to 8 Mile (the border between Detroit and the suburbs), a 9.3-mile long track. The track will be paid for with grants from the federal government and from private donations. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin by late 2011. [Freep http://www.freep.com/article/20100802/NEWS01/100802048/1001/news]

Light rail is something that’s been talked about in Detroit for decades, and proposed solutions have been numerous. False starts have defined rail transport in Detroit, but this week’s news could indicate a new commitment, with the local, state, and federal governments all working together to make the rail line come together. Here are some reactions to the news from the blogosphere:

Transportation Riders United issues a call to action for supporters of Detroit transit, and produces a list of public meetings regarding the new rail line. [TRU http://www.detroittransit.org/archived_blog.php?b=537]

Model D Media describes the process that the rail line will go through in their article. [Model D http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/lightrail080210.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ModelDMedia+%28Model+D%29]

From the Detroit News, possible future improvements and extensions to the rail line. [DetNews http://detnews.com/article/20100802/METRO/8020391/Detroit-moves-forward-with-plan-for-light-rail-project]

Crain’s Detroit has a write-up on the economic impact survey. Also included is more specific information about the money being provided for the line. [Crain’s http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100802/FREE/100809985]

And, finally, the Free Press’s editorial page says that advocacy for transit cannot stop now. We have to keep pushing to make sure this project succeeds. [Freep http://www.freep.com/article/20100803/OPINION01/8030320/1068/opinion]

GLUE says: Amen.

We at GLUE are big promoters of sustainability in cities. (And everywhere else.) We believe that sustainability is, in itself, an important goal, and that to be sustainable is to be successful. Still, it doesn’t hurt when being sustainable provides a bit of good PR for your city, either. From Pop City Media, the Pittsburgh International Airport is switching to LED lighting. Actions like these can go far to change people’s perceptions of Pittsburgh, even if they’re just flying through: it’s not a smoky steel town, it’s a twinkling bastion of environmental good citizenry.

Via Preservation Research, the U.S. House passed H.R. 3534 (Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2010) yesterday. The bill “included the first-ever full annual appropriation of $150 million to the federal Historic Preservation Fund.” The HPF matches grants for programs authorized in the 1966 Historic Preservation Act (such as “preservation planning, architectural survey, educational programs and other activities”). Local governments can apply for the funds, using state offices. Rust Belt cities can benefit specifically from these funds because because we have a lot of wonderful old architecture, as opposed to the newer buildings (with less history) in other cities across the country.

With ripples still being felt from the Gulf oil spill, this week’s news of an oil spill in Michigan can feel overwhelming. Here are a few reactions from the blogosphere.
First, NPR’s Changing Gears blog says the spill might be worse than originally thought, and the Detroit Free Press says the spill is halfway to Lake Michigan. Also, the Freep asks if it could have been prevented.
Chicagoist wonders which of the contradictory reports about the spill’s scale is true. It is unclear right now if the spill will reach Lake Michigan; if it does, though, it’s relevant to any number of cities that rely on the Great Lakes for commerce, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Cleveland, among others.
The Political Environment wonders the same thing, and calls for greater awareness of this threat.

What do you think? Can the oil spill be stopped? What does this mean for the future of the Great Lakes? Should oil drilling be outlawed in or near the Great Lakes? Share your thoughts in the comments.

We were extremely sad to learn that last week, an incredible Buffalo resident, and an integral participant in GLUE’s early days, Simon Griffis, passed away in a hiking accident.

Simon was an artist who ran the Ashford Hollow Foundation and Griffis Sculpture Park.  His passion was creating opportunities for everyone–especially children–to create and experience art.  He was a warm and creative light at GLUE’s first conference in Buffalo, and also the man behind the truly spectacular bronze pour that celebrated GLUE’s website launch in 2008.

We are grateful to have known him.  GLUE’s collective heart goes out to his family and the entire community of Buffalo.

I’m sure most Detroiters had this NY Times article about small business entrepreneurs forwarded to them over the weekend.  Some familiar faces (a number of my favorite Detroit businesses are featured) made this fun for me.  But what the NYT doesn’t know is that this culture of young entrepreneurialism is what makes ALL of our Rust Belt cities such exciting places to lives.

I definitely recommend watching the accompanying video, which closes with the quote of a founder of the recently-opened Burton Theatre: “Detroit is just the one place where you can do whatever you want to do.”   I’d add our Rust Belt neighbors to that equation, but otherwise, amen!

Our semi-weekly update from the Rust Wire bloggers:

Check out some great photos by Angie of the beautiful historic mansions in her Cleveland neighborhood. You’ll want to take a trip to the Cleveland after seeing the houses of Franklin Boulevard.

It’s great when folks in our cities can have an online conversation about ways to make the places we live better. Join the discussion about hosting a Jane’s Walk (a neighborhood walk in the spirit of urban thinker Jane Jacobs) in your community.