Looks Count! Improving the Visual Qualities of Upper Peninsula Roadways
By Carl H. Ferguson*, Program Development Specialist, Land Information Access Association
Imagine you are on vacation. Relaxing, isn't? Now imagine you are driving to one of the premiere outdoor recreational areas in the country and searching for a place to eat or stop for the night. Look at the following pictures.
Are you still feeling relaxed? Still hungry? Now take a look at the next set of pictures.
Which set of pictures appeal to you? Which makes you want to stop and linger? Which makes you want to return again?
What we see through the windshield can make us feel welcomed and at ease or uncomfortable and confused. Views from the road often form our first and most lasting impressions of a region and a community. These first and last impressions count because they anchor our perception and form the basis for what we remember.
What can communities in the Upper Peninsula do to ensure that both residents and visitors feel welcomed and encouraged to stop? What can they do to ensure that visitors arrive and leave with a positive impression that will, in turn, be conveyed to other potential visitors? These questions are important. Tourism is an increasingly vital component of the Upper Peninsula economy, and more than 77 % of U.P. visitors travel to their destination by car (95 % by bus, RV, train or car).1 With research showing that the "journey" is a very important part of the overall travel experience, attractive transportation corridors are crucial to making positive impressions, generating return visits and increasing tourism dollars. In other words, Looks Count!
This idea forms the basis of a project recently funded by the People and Land (PAL) Initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The project is being managed by the Land Information Access Association (www.liaa.org) in partnership with a group of organizations interested in the economic vitality of U.P. communities and the scenic qualities of U.P. roadways. The partnership includes representatives from the following organizations.
Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning & Development Commission (Region 11) www.miregions.org
Central Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Regional Commission (Region 12)
Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Regional Commission (Region 13)
Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation and Development Area www.portup.com/~uprcdc/home.htm
MSU Extension Upper Peninsula www.msue.msu.edu/msue/ctyentpg/reg_up.html
Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association www.uptravel.com
Michigan Department of Transportation www.michigan.gov/mdot
Over the next several months, the partnership will be working with a number of U.P. communities to help them plan for visual enhancement. Kicking things off will be two regional forums to discuss the idea of visual enhancement. These forums will be held on March 3 in Bruce Crossing and March 4 in Eckerman. Following the forums, several communities will be selected to receive free planning assistance. Working with a professional landscape architect and planner, community participants will develop "visions" of transportation corridors through their community. The conceptual designs will form the basis of a community visual enhancement plan that will give communities the necessary resources to begin implementing their vision.
For more information on this project, visit the project website at www.liaa.org/upvision or contact Carl Ferguson at the Land Information Access Association: ferguson@liaa.org or Steve Nelson at MSU Extension: nelsons@msue.msu.edu.
*Carl Ferguson is a Program Development Specialist with the Land Information Access Association, a non-profit organization located in Traverse City
1Michigan 2002 Travel Summary, prepared for Travel Michigan by D.K. Shifflet & Associates, 2003
