TheReview_Nov_Dec_2021_FlipBook

The Lake Michigan coastal communities don’t usually come to mind as shrinking communities, but many of them have seen population declines on both short and long-term horizons, with some down 25 percent or more of their 1970 population. These population drops may reflect the concerns we’ve heard from many of those members, that as vacation homes and now short-term rentals consume an increasing share of the housing stock, they don’t have places for long-term residents to live. As with some of the U.P. communities, the seasonal tourism-based economies of these coastal towns may be thriving, but that isn’t always translating to prosperity for residents. Population Up The flipside of the data is that a similar number of communities have gained population on both the 50-year and 10-year horizons. It’s easy to interpret growing population as success, but these communities’ growth comes with its own challenges. The last half-century of development has been very resource intensive in terms of land consumed and infrastructure required per capita. These development patterns lead directly to pain points like traffic congestion and surface flooding, and also face large maintenance bills as they age.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

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THE REVIEW