Success stories from 35 years of planning

Michigan’s food councils report modest success in policy advocacy

Carlisle/Wortman in th..., economic development, Rural/agriculturalcwaplanSeptember 24, 2019Carlisle/Wortman Associates, planning, planners, Michigan, food systems, food councils

Wedding barns can keep small farms viable

Code enforcement, economic development, Placemaking, Rural/agricultural, ZoningcwaplanJune 25, 2019Carlisle/Wortman Associates, planning, planners, Michigan, wedding barns, Michigan Association of Planning, rural development

New zoning allows side businesses that diversify farm income

Carlisle/Wortman Assoc..., Rural/agricultural, ZoningcwaplanMarch 21, 2019agricultural zoning, Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Michigan, planners, planning, Sharon Township

Should you use national standards to plan your parks?

Carlisle/Wortman Assoc..., Michigan, Municipal Management, planners, planning, Public engagement, Recreation planning, Rural/agricultural, UrbancwaplanJanuary 21, 2019National Recreation and Parks Association, NRPA, TPL, Trust for Public Land

Carlisle/Wortman’s most-viewed blog posts in 2017

Carlisle/Wortman's top 10 2017 blog posts: Signs, RTFA, fracking, economic development, invasive species, civic engagement and pocket parks.

Carlisle/Wortman in th..., economic development, Public engagement, Recreation planning, Rural/agricultural, Urban, ZoningcwaplanJanuary 8, 2018Carlisle/Wortman Associates, civic engagement, economic development, Fracking, invasive species, LED signs, Michigan, planners, planning, pocket parks, urban agriculture

Food innovation districts

An entry from Carlisle/Wortman Associates' glossary of planning terms, provided free to all clients.

economic development, Rural/agriculturalcwaplanAugust 8, 2017Carlisle/Wortman Associates, food innovation district, food policy, Michigan, planning

Creating a legal framework for urban ag: Lessons from Flint

Here’s a seminal case study on urban agriculture by Michigan food policy expert Megan Masson-Minock.

Public engagement, Rural/agricultural, Urban, ZoningcwaplanAugust 1, 2017Carlisle/Wortman Associates, food policy, hoop houses, Michigan, Michigan Right to Farm Act, planners, planning, RTFA, urban agriculture, urban gardening

What you need to know about Michigan's RTFA

A concise overview of Michigan's Right to Farm Act, by Wayne Whitman, environmental manager for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Rural/agricultural, ZoningcwaplanJuly 7, 2017Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Michigan, planning, Right to Farm Act, RTFA, Wayne Whitman

Planners and public safety officials unite to fight Phragmites

The tool kit for fighting Phragmites includes state laws, building codes, zoning ordinances, noxious weed ordinances and stormwater management rules.

Municipal Management, Rural/agricultural, ZoningcwaplanFebruary 9, 2017Carlisle/Wortman Associates, invasive species, Michigan, Phragmites, planners, planning

Township adds solar energy zoning

Augusta Township in southeast Michigan has established zoning standards for solar energy installations.

Rural/agricultural, ZoningcwaplanJanuary 16, 2017alternative energy, Augusta Township, Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Michigan, planners, planning, solar energy

Ride sharing apps for rural use and the last urban half mile

Might ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft solve transit challenges in rural and urban America?

Rural/agriculturalcwaplanAugust 7, 2016Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Lyft, Michigan, planners, planning, ride-sharing, transit, Transportation, Uber

Sorting Out Land Use Activities Covered Under the Michigan Right to Farm Act

For many communities, the intersection of RTFA, GAAMPS, zoning and the building department is the Bermuda Triangle of land use regulation. Can you pass through it without winding up in court?

Rural/agriculturalcwaplanJune 28, 2016Carlisle/Wortman Associates, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, GAAMPS, planners, planning, Right to Farm Act, Wayne Whitman

Scio Township innovates to preserve rural character

The conversion of a beautiful, historic barn in Michigan’s Scio Township into a special events hall drove the township to create a zoning category that provides a new and unique way to protect and preserve agricultural land.

Code enforcement, Rural/agriculturalcwaplanJanuary 10, 2014carlisle/wortman, doug lewan, misty farm, rural preservation, scio township

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