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MISSION The Great Lakes Bulletinoffers in-depth reporting and reasoned analysis about Michigan's land use issues to inspire citizens to become more involved in designing their own communities. It is published by the Michigan Land Use Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts research andworks with policy makers and citizens to help foster a new approach to economic development that respects the land, the community that inhabits the land, and the inherent process of change.

845 Michigan Avenue P.O. Box 228 Benzonia, MI 49616 Tel. 231-882-4723 Fax 231-882-7350 Web site: www.mlui.org E-mail: info@mlui.org KEITH SCHNEIDER Executive Director HANS VOSS Managing Director COMMUNICATIONS LECLAIR STOLTMANN Web Editor AIMÉ MERIZON Production Editor PROJECTS ARLIN WASSERMAN Policy Specialist PATTY CANTRELL Economic Analyst KELLY THAYER Transportation Project Coordinator CONAN SMITH Transportation Policy and Land Use Specialist MEMBER SERVICES ANNE STANTON Outreach Director ALICIA HARRISON Office Manager Events Coordinator DEB NEGRI-JACKSON Administrative Assistant Member Services Coordinator GREAT LAKESBULLETIN & SPECIAL REPORTS FLORENCE BARONE Editor CONTRACT SUPPORT GAIL DENNIS Graphic Design SASKIA VAN WOLFEREN CHRIS ALDRICH ROB ALDRICH JIM STAMM Computer Services BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOB SUTHERLAND Chair DEBORAH J. ROHE Secretary RICHARD J. HITCHINGHAM Treasurer JON ARMSTRONG THOMAS CARR R.T. CURRAN PRESTON V. DILTS, JR., M. D. ROBERT OTWELL VIRGINIA B. PIERCE KEITH SCHNEIDER HOWARD A. TANNER KAREN WILLARD TIMOTHY YOUNG GENERAL COUNSEL JAMES M. OLSON JOHN D. NOONAN

FROM THE FIELD

Keith Schneider

Smart Growth a Natural for Conservatives

ByKEITH SCHNEIDER

I was a guest the other day on a WJR-AM radio show in Detroit, talking about taming sprawl. Michigan's growingcivicmovement to stop thebreakneckconversion of farms and forests into commercial strips and high-speedhighways is anaturalforconservatives, I said. After all, conservation is about avoiding waste. And the political themes that have resonated throughout America in the 1980s and 1990s were built on messages of cutting taxes and subsidies, embracing traditional values, and giving local governments more authority in their communities. Aren't these the same messages that residents bring to township boards as they build support for "Smart Growth" planning efforts — that is, to rejuvenate Main Streets, preserve urban and rural neighborhoods, and encourage economic development without creating sprawl? The other guest on the radio show was a lawyer from the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. He said he was takingtheconservative side, andargued that citizen-led efforts to change growth patterns are a threat to the economy, property rights, and personal liberty. Sprawl, he said, is a result of the free market at work, and a sign of economic strength. Americans love sprawl, he said — after all, they choose to live in suburbs and shop at giant superstores. Iwasastoundedby his selectivereasoning, eventhoughIhaveheardit beforefrom opponents ofSmartGrowth. In f act, sprawlisagross distortion ofthefreemarket.It is aresultofmassivegovernment subsidiespushed by pro-sprawl lobbyists fornewroads, sewers, schools, corporatetax breaks,and other"economicdevelopment"incentives. Atruefree market would actuallycorrectthe distortionsthat promotesprawl. Moreover,opinion pollsconsistentlyfind thatmost Americans loathesprawl,feelhemmedin bytheirincreasingly crowded suburbs, aretired ofhavingto spendso much timein acar,and arelooking forbetterchoices. The lawyer's strident comments are the emerging themes of a new counter-attack by a privileged few to convince voters that sprawl is good for us. We know better. Common sense also tells us that this issue goes beyond politics. Last November, for example, Americans transcended party affiliations and overwhelmingly approved most of the 200 local and state ballot measures around the country to protect farmland and open space, and rein in sprawl. Thankfully for Michigan, there are members of the state Legislature who aren't succumbing to partisan politicsand arepushing forSmart Growthinitiatives. The Institute is right on top of this effort, and we will keep you posted — through the Bulletin, our Web site, and special mailings — on how you can contribute to its success. Sprawl is a real concern for so many people — stuck in traffic, paying outrageous taxes for new infrastructure, tired of the ugliness and anonymity of where they live. Having to deal with sprawl is reawakening in us a desire to participate in civic life. The Smart Growth movement unites people in an unprecedentedway, andthat'sbecauseit's anevolutionofthevaluesconservatives —as wellas liberals — have long embraced.

Cover photograph, "No Exit,"©1999 by Patrick Owen. Eastbound I-696, metro Detroit.