Oakland Press: Pontiac showing progress in elimination of blight. The City of Pontiac has been experiencing some rough times in recent months, but it's good to see that the city is still continuing its blight elimination efforts with a little help from the Cities of Promise initiative:

More than two dozen structures have been torn down in the past year. Additionally, more than 50 structures have been slated for demolition since last year.

Schneck says the city is putting together a bid package that should go out in May.

He says the project "... is a real positive, because the Department of Public Works and Utilities along with the Law Department now have a concrete process where we can go forward with demolitions."

Owners of structures in disrepair but not slated for demolition soon could find themselves in court. When it comes to cityowned properties, Schneck said community block grant funds and City of Promise funding could be used to take the structures down or sell repaired properties.

The Cities of Promise initiative is Gov. Jennifer Granholm's five-year program that allows state agencies and local officials to collaborate and thus focus resources in eight urban Michigan cities with the highest poverty rates, including Pontiac.

Crain's: Brownfield speaker: Promote urban architecture. Urban areas and their potential for redevelopment are reason for celebration, according to the keynote speaker at this week's national brownfields conference in Detroit this week:

“There is nothing wrong with poor people that good food, sunlight, celebration and architecture can’t fix,” said Strickland, a developer and author.

He built what he calls a “house of light” in a poor neighborhood on a brownfield site. He filled it with books, fresh flowers, architecturally designed furniture and a place to learn pottery.

He made it his mission to recruit the displaced and train them to get them “back in the game,” he said. His center spans six city blocks and includes an art center, a technology center, a culinary school, a greenhouse to grow orchids and a music hall. Gourmet food made at the culinary school feeds the students.

WLNS: Plans for Major Change in City. For those who aren't familiar with Lansing, Saginaw street is one of the main East-West thoroughfares, and yes, it would be a fantastic area to target for re-development:

A major effort is underway that could change a major roadway in Lansing. Community leaders are proposing a plan to revamp Saginaw Street. It's all about attracting new businesses and residents. Take a drive down parts of Saginaw Street in Lansing and you'll likely notice one thing.

Jessica Yorko, Saginaw Road diet advocate: "It's over 50% vacant between MLK and Butler."

But now there's an effort to change that.

Jessica Yorko works for the northwest initiative, a group of residents working to revitalize Lansing. She says many in the community feel the major road in Lansing needs to be safer and more attractive to businesses. A team of neighborhood leaders and the cities' Economic Development Corporation have come up with a plan for change. It's called the Saginaw road diet.

Jessica Yorko: "It would look more like a downtown."

But before this vision can become a reality, Yorko says they must develop a plan to pay for the changes and get Lansing city council and the state transportation department's stamp of approval.

Jessica Yorko: "There is a lot of funding opportunities right now that we are exploring. I think we have actually come to a place where it seems like a real possibility."

Freep: Younger workers drive downtown development. This is what we've been saying for more than a year, so it's nice to see that community leaders are finally "getting it":

The desire of young knowledge workers to work and play in an urban setting is making downtown Detroit a more attractive place to locate a business, several corporate and civic leaders told the National Brownfields Conference at Cobo Center Tuesday.

In a panel moderated by former Mayor Dennis Archer, Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, told the audience that his decision to move his company downtown from the suburbs is being driven by the need to attract younger workers.

"It really comes down to the competition for brains," Gilbert said of finding smart twentysomething workers for his online mortgage company. "They can go anywhere they want. You talk with these young people, they really want to be in an urban setting."

Mark Petroff, president of Marketing Associates, which moved its headquarters downtown last year, echoed that.

"We moved downtown because it was a good business decision," Petroff said. Speaking of his workers, whose average age is 27, he said, "They like to work and they like to play, and they really don't distinguish between the two."