Novi Receives Sustainable Community Award

—Submitted by the City of Novi

The City of Novi is proud to have been recognized by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) with a Sustainable Community Recognitions Program Award. The honor was presented Mayor Bob Gatt and the Novi City Council on Sept. 24 at the Novi City Council meeting. SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of governmental units that serve 4.7 million people in the seven counties of Southeast Michigan.

The Sustainable Community Recognition Program acknowledges member communities that have integrated sustainable activities into their practices. The actions SEMCOG supports helps local governments achieve and maintain sustainability through achieving economic prosperity while protecting the environment, in addition to providing a high quality of life for residents.

“Novi is proud to be recognized as a leader for sustainable activity,” said Gatt. “Our tradition of protecting natural features, enhancing connectivity, providing a safe community for residents and businesses to enjoy a quality lifestyle, and more make Novi a premier place for people to live, work, and visit.”

Many of the Sustainable Community Recognition Program’s eligible activities have been completed by the City of Novi, including:

• Developing the green infrastructure program and protection ordinance for woodland and wetland areas.
• Conducting annual safety audits of street intersections to identify the type and frequency of traffic crashes.
• Using SEMCOG data to make the case for a variety of development and master planning decisions.
• Implementing a sidewalk prioritization plan that annually inventories sidewalk needs.
• Implementing low impact development, specifically two bioswales at two municipal locations to improve the quality of stormwater.
• Surveying Novi residents in a National Citizen Survey every two years.