City of Southfield hosts public engagement sessions on sustainability

SOUTHFIELD — As part of the Sustainable Southfield initiative, the Southfield Planning Department is set to host  “Your Voice, Your City, Your Future,” which is focused on sustainability within the city, from 1-3 p.m. May 10 at the Southfield Parks and Recreation Building, Room 221, located at 26000 Evergreen Road.

The first session was held April 3 virtually on Zoom, with the second session taking place April 10 at the Southfield Public Library.

“We really want to hear from you,” Southfield Sustainability Planner Souzan Yousif said. “If you’re a resident of the city, we want to know what you’re looking for in the future. What do you want your city to look like in five,10,15 years from now? If you’re a guest and often commute to Southfield, let us know what would be more attractive for people who are visitors to the city. So, really, this is about your voice and what you think that we should do as we work with the city of Southfield to make those improvements and changes.”

Yousif encouraged residents to participate in the “City of Southfield Public Sustainability Survey” to share their feedback and concerns.

“This is really critical feedback that we’re going to use to develop our sustainability action plan,” she said.

Yousif shared a presentation on what sustainability means in Southfield based on three pillars, which are social, environmental and economic factors, and the initiatives that the city is pursuing to make Southfield a community that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” as defined by the United Nations.

She added that through the Sustainable Southfield Initiative, the city is focusing on placemaking, micromobility, trails, community, renewable energy and green infrastructure.

Yousif shared some examples, such as the solar lighting in Red Pole Park, bike stations throughout the city, and a food waste elimination study.

“So a lot of great things are happening in Southfield, and that takes us to our most ambitious project, which is our Sustainability Action Plan. So, this action plan will summarize 10 different categories that relate to sustainability for the city. Many neighboring communities have their own sustainability action plans that they’ve recently adopted. So we’re on track with the other communities to have our own and be able to establish a lot of goals related to mobility, energy, (and) materials management,” she explained.

Jason Gapa and Sydni Warner from JFM Consulting Group led residents into a forum where they shared their feedback and concerns through a series of activities, including selecting a mission statement, pinpointing specific areas of concern in the city, and sharing their sustainability wish lists of what they would like to see implemented in the city.

“Well, I came here specifically to argue for dedicated bike lanes,” Rita Chastang, a 41-year resident of Southfield, said. “I’ve tried biking here to the library and that was OK. … I tried biking to 12 Mile and Telegraph and that’s like taking your life in your hands.”

She added that the bike trails are fine, but it would be nice to have a dedicated place in the streets to bike so that businesses are more accessible.

Lars Watts has lived in Southfield for around seven years and wants to see less of the traditional landscapes and more natural grasses and plants.

“I think the city could do more to have less grass and more plants, more flower gardens, like the one by the sculpture, or just native grasses,” Watts said. “This kind of grass right here is pretty useless for nature. You can see (with) some studies they do that there’s not a lot of bugs in this area, not a lot of bats. Nature doesn’t like just plain grass; it likes diverse things, so I think there’s just … too much grass in the city, essentially.”

He added that he wants to see more wildflowers, native plants and prairie grasses in Southfield.

Olivia B. Duval, an eight-year resident, made a case for a community center and pool.

“I know that if you talk to people in the community, you’ll find out that there are two things that they still harp about, and that’s the pool and the community center,” she said. “They don’t want to go to The Hawk (located in Farmington Hills). They think that The Hawk is great, but they’re just like, ‘Why do I have to get in my car and drive all the way to the Hawk or to Costick (Farmington Hills), or even down the street to that swim club?’”

Residents interested in providing their feedback can attend on May 10 and register at bit.ly/SUSTAIN_Southfield.

For those unable to attend the next session, they can share their input through the Sustainability Survey by contacting Souzan Yousif at (248) 796-4156 or by sending an email to syousif@cityofsouthfield.com.

To learn more about sustainability in Southfield, visit cityofsouthfield.com.