The Review Magazine : May-June 2022

1675 Green Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105

2021 CEA FINALIST — REcreating Recreation in Sterling Heights A fter years of cost cutting and reform measures required to survive the great recession, the City of Sterling Heights was stuck in neutral and lacked a vision for the future. Lack of direction and negativity were pervasive, and Sterling Heights was at a proverbial fork in the road. If the city did nothing, it would head down a path of perpetual decline. Instead, the city chose to elicit intense community engagement to create a plan to invest in the future and pursue a path to prosperity. This was the impetus for Sterling Heights’ Visioning 2030 Plan which sowed the seeds for REcreating Recreation. Through this shared vision, voters chose to fund the single largest investment in quality-of-life services in the city’s history, and the results speak for themselves. Spaces once barren or in need of repair have now been re-purposed into spaces that serve as focal point destinations for residents and visitors alike to connect with the city in a fun and active way.