For many years now, the Michigan Municipal League has talked about placemaking as a vital part of making our state prosperous again. Simply put placemaking is about creating communities that people love. It’s about turning “that community†into “my community.†So how do we accomplish this? How do we create places to cherish? Often it starts with an idea and a new League program called PlacePlans is taking the ideas that already exist in eight Michigan cities and helping turn them into reality. This PlacePlans effort is the focus of our final show for 2013. We’re truly saving the best for last. My co-host for this show is Detroit Free Press reporter Matt Helms and our guests are Gary Heidel, the new Chief Placemaking Officer for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority; Sarah Pavelko, Project Manager  of the Southwest Business Association in Detroit; and Steve Wolbert, Director of Community Relations and Government Affairs at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy in Flint. The show airs 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, on News/Talk 760 WJR but you can listen anytime at the  League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the placemaking concept here as well as on this blog.