Michigan Harbor Study

Professor Donald Carpenter of Lawrence Technological University and Sanjiv Sinha, Vice President of Water Resources Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., will lead a two-year study on how Michigan communities with small, shallow-draft harbors can plan for economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

Official Project Site Link   

A decade-long trend of lower water levels in the Great Lakes has hurt economic activity in Michigan communities with harbors, and the trend is likely to continue. By 2015 public harbors in the state will be required to develop five-year master plans in order to receive financial support from the Waterways Commission of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR).

Small Harbors Map

Community Charettes

In 2015 the team hosted four charrettes (facilitated community planning sessions) in New Baltimore, Au Gres, Ontonagon and Pentwater. The communities underwent a six-month engagement process with the research team to help the research team identify strategies to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability of Michigan’s harbor communities.

Project Objectives

The charrettes and additional data collection will be used to develop a financial model that will lead to a toolkit and planning resources to help public harbors pursue financial sustainability. The resources will then be applied at two additional harbors to demonstrate the transferability and use of the toolkit and accompanying documents. 

The toolkit will help bridge the gap amongst various public harbors in their varying ability to develop a realistic long-term vision. Special emphasis will be placed on incorporating concepts from Michigan’s “Placemaking” programs (currently led by Michigan State Housing Development Authority) as well as economic development initiatives (such as Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Redevelopment Ready Program) to make the toolkit relevant to today’s need.The project will identify opportunities for both generating revenue and cutting costs, and the economic model will enable communities to measure the financial viability of their harbors. 

Outputs

  • Identification of the key barriers to the sustainability of small harbors.
  • Tools that will assist communities in planning, including:
    • A summary report
    • Presentations
    • Case studies and fact sheets
    • Websites
  • A sustainable small harbor management strategy for Michigan’s coastal communities, based on their stated needs.

 

Example community design charrettes took place in New Baltimore, Pentwater, Au Gres, and Ontonagon in 2015.

Charrette Process:

Day 1: Introduction presentation to community members and identifying community constraints and cautions.

Charrette Process: Day 1

(A few weeks later)

Day 2: Community members participate in activities identifying strong and weak places, aspects of their community they would like to change, and identifying locations.

Charrette Process: Day 2

Day 3: The design team generates three alternative designs based on information gathered during day 1 and 2. In the evening the public return to vote on their favorite design and give feedback.

Charrette Process: Day 3

Day 4: Community feedback from the previous evening is incorporated into the highest voted alternative and the design is further developed by the design team. The final design is presented to the community and evaluated by them. 

Charrette Process: Day 4

(One month later)

Day 5: Final design with additional graphics is presented at a Municipal Meeting.

Results:

The community receives a final report containing graphics and descriptions of the alternatives and final design. The process is documented for inclusion in the sustainable small harbor management study.

 

FAQ

Research Team

Principal Investigator:

Donald D. Carpenter, PhD, PE, LEED AP
Professor of Civil Engineering
Lawrence Technological University
carpenter@ltu.edu
(248) 204-2549

Co-Investigators:

Sanjiv K. Sinha, PhD, PE
Vice President & Corporate Director – Water Resources
Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.
ssinha@ectinc.com

David Knight
David L. Knight LLC
dknight050@gmail.com
(734) 975-1214

Matthew Bingham
Veritas Economic Consulting, LLC
Principal Economist
matthew.bingham@veritaseconomics.com
(919) 677-8787

State Agency and Sea Grant Support Team

Bill Boik
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)
Programs and Grants Unit Manager
boikw@michigan.gov
(517) 284-6086

Jon Allan
Office of the Great Lakes
Director
allanj@michigan.gov
(517) 284-5035

Emily Finnell
Office of the Great Lakes
Senior Environmental Quality Specialist
finnelle@michigan.gov
(517) 284-5036

Jim Tischler
Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)
Director, Community Development
tischlerj@michigan.gov
(517) 241-0050

Amy Samples
Michigan Sea Grant
Project Coordinator
asamples@umich.edu
(734) 647-0766

Catherine Riseng
Michigan Sea Grant
Research Program Manager and Assistant Research Scientist
criseng@umich.edu
(734) 936-3622

Mark Breederland
Michigan Sea Grant
Extension Educator, Northwest District
breederl@msu.edu
(231) 922-4628

Glenn Pape
Michigan State University
Extension Educator
papeglen@msu.edu
(517) 546-3950

Criteria for case studies included type of harbor (shallow draft, harbor of refuge), position relative to the community type (suburban, city, downtown), population size, and current economic condition. One city on each great lake area was chosen.

Community meetings/charrettes identifying strategies to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability of Michigan’s harbor communities.

Early 2016 an economic model and decision making tools and information will be distributed to communities.

The case study will identify strategies to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability in Michigan’s harbor communities.

The study will help economic planning and community development.

New Baltimore, Au Gres, Ontonagon and Pentwater.

MDNR, Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan Sea Grant, and Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)

Ideas and input about strategies to improve economic, social and environmental sustainability of Michigan’s harbor communities.

The case study will identify strategies to improve economic, social, and environmental sustainability in Michigan’s harbor communities and provide a model for those communities.