The Institute devotes a significant share of its resources to the Bulletin because we know that investigative journalism can advance the goals of the Institute's projects. Invariably, the state's leading politicians and policy makers take notice of the Bulletin's reports, and respond with decisions that strengthen Michigan's land use policy.

Here is a synopsis of the cover stories from 1998:

Fall/Winter: Conserving Farmland. When economic policies force farmers to sell to developers, the result is a rash of subdivisions and mini-malls in rural communities. This issue discusses innovative farmland protection programs and strategies farmers can use to stay profitable.

Spring: Smart Growth, How to Have Livable Communities Again. What can Michigan do to tame suburban sprawl? This issue examines initiatives taken by several states, and features Maryland's sophisticated and flexible "Smart Growth" program.

Summer/Fall: An Eye-Opening Look at Lansing's Environmental Record in the 1990s. Here is an unflinching critique of how the Engler administration strayed from its duty to uphold the long-held tradition of environmental stewardship in Michigan.

Institute Gains National Attention
Last year brought numerous opportunities for the Institute to speak nationally on gaining support for anti-sprawl measures by combining grassroots organizing and journalism.

Executive Director Keith Schneider traveled around the country to speak before hundreds of the nation's most prominent planners. He also delivered the keynote address at the annual conference of the Michigan Society of Planning Officials, Michigan's largest planning conference with 400 influential decision-makers.

Mr. Schneider presented the Institute's model of fueling grassroots momentum by helping groups and governments communicate their message with clear language. The Institute hires journalists as organizers because they are talented at translating complex theories into understandable messages that people support.

Among his appearances in 1998, Mr. Schneider traveled to Baltimore to address the State Smart Growth Strategies Conference, sponsored by the National Governors Association. He also spoke in Austin at the second national Smart Growth conference, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Urban Land Institute.

Smart Growth, successfully pioneered in Maryland, aims to slow sprawl by directing public dollars for schools, roads, and public works toward urban areas that have already been developed, while denying funding for new construction in outlying regions.