Northern Michigan Business Directories

The mission of the Harbor Springs Placemaking Committee is to "inspire both residents and visitors to identify the area as home, and work to foster a sense of pride and responsibility by facilitating communication and opportunities with the community." The Placemaking Committee has been at work since spring 2011 and has held a number of community forums including:

*A strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunity (SWOT) analysis
*An update on the top five SWOT results and community efforts to reach goals
*A "DDA 101" session explaining what a Downtown Development Authority is and what it can do
*Fred Kent, of the Project for Public Spaces, visited Harbor Springs and talked about placemaking
*Downtown Dreaming, a session with ideas from the community on downtown of Harbor Springs
*Evening Dreaming, a gathering to talk about placemaking and community ideas

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach related to:
*Planning design and management of public spaces
*Listening to those who work, live and play in that space
*Create a common vision
*Capitalizes on community assets, inspirations and potential
*Creating good public spaces promoting health and happiness

The Michigan Municipal League featured the placemaking efforts in Harbor Springs in their May/June 2012 publication: Local Business-Owners Bring Placemaking to Harbor Springs

Fred Kent's presentation can be seen on these 2 YouTube locations:
Harbor Springs Placemaking Part 1
Harbor Springs Placemaking Part 2

The Harbor Springs Placemaking Committee is a collaborative effort between several Northern Michigan organizations including HARBOR, Inc., Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Harbor Springs, the Downtown Development Authority, and consulting from MSU Extension.

The Placemaking Committee meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. For even months, the meetings are evenings, 7pm, and for odd months, the meetings are 8:30am, both at Harbor Springs City Hall. The members are: Jody Ewbank, Kathie Breighner, Sheryl McCleery, Mary Ellen Hughes, Kathy Emig, and Scott Langton. Tom Richards, city of Harbor Springs, Scott Herceg, Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, and Rachel Smolinski, HARBOR, Inc., are ex officio members. The Placemaking Committee can be reached by email at: placemakingharborsprings@gmail.com