Image description: Multi-colored oil painting of a seaside port community. There are various sailboats, people, and buildings in rich, jewel tone colors of eggplant, terracotta, amber, robin egg blue, deep turquoise, and tangerine.

Image description: Placecraft logo features a light mustard color swirling design with “Placecraft” written in all capital , red letters in front. Logo design by the very talented Kristin Mackenzie Design.

Placecraft is a Michigan-based community planning consultancy founded by Elise Loud (née Elise Crafts) in 2018.

We are clear-eyed about the role of place in determining personal outcomes. We work diligently to listen for, plan for, and collaborate on community-informed, place-based solutions that improve people’s lived experience—and correct policies and programming that do not. Our work is inspired by the stories, hopes, struggles, and wisdom of the people and places we serve.

 

our work

 

Placecraft works on a variety of projects, from managing a startup business incubator program, facilitating accessible/inclusive community conversation around whether and where to locate a new trail, and convening/welcoming neighbors to discuss what elements of their neighborhood they wish are preserved and enhanced.

My projects share these elements in common: a challenge or opportunity to support the broader community; a motivated team of local leaders who value inclusivity and diversity; a geographic place defined by municipal, natural, or cultural boundaries; and a community of everyday people from all walks of life, who care about their place.

I am often inspired by these wise words from adrienne maree brown, “move at the speed of trust. focus on critical connections more than critical mass. build the resilience by building the relationships.”

 

  • It can be a pain to be a planner (what is “being present” again?) but I am a planner at heart, happiest with a to-do list (and coffee) in hand.

    I love working with clients to identify a challenge or opportunity, source potential solutions from their communities, match these against their internal capacity and priorities, and put together an actionable plan with timelines, budgets, and responsible parties detailed.

  • Much of my work relies on the ideas and hopes of the residents, employers, employees, students, and visitors who call a community theirs. I’m naturally curious about how everyday community users experience their downtown, streets, parks, trails, and neighborhoods, and really enjoy creating listening processes that provide room for people of all backgrounds and experiences to share their ideas.

  • This is definitely a catch-all service and I like it that way. You have a project and need someone to keep it organized and running smoothly? I’d love to learn more. I’ve helped companies hire their next CEO, developers obtain their land use approvals, and nonprofits launch new programming. Common needs across these unique projects are planning, meeting facilitation, partnership building, and documentation/reporting.

  • Need a service not described here? If you’re seeking a people-oriented and enthusiastic person to support your work, just ask. I’m always open to new ideas, projects, and collaborations. “Other” services I’ve supported clients with include content writing, staff hiring, event coordination, and meeting facilitation.

 

about elise

Image description: A head shot of Elise who is outside in a wooded area on a sunny day. She is white with brown hair and is wearing a white blouse, mustard-colored pants, and turquoise earrings. Image taken by Captured by Grace Photography.

Image description: An old photo of my favorite view from Paw Paw, overlooking the trees, pond, and back field where the sun sets. As places tend to do, this place has changed. Some of the trees have since fallen, the old white garage is now a lovely flagstone patio/pergola, and the field is no longer farmed and is reverting back to its natural prairie-like state.

Hi, I’m Elise (she/her), Placecraft founder.

I grew up in a two-bedroom farmhouse about four miles from the village of Paw Paw, Michigan. We were surrounded by farmland, little lakes, and a pumpkin patch ran by “Granny Goodwitch”. My lovely parents still live in our home, and remnants of the childhood I shared with my sister—the raspberry patch, chicken coop, wood boiler, and tree forts where we pretended to be Laura and Mary Ingalls—remain. We ran muddy and ragged over our seven acres and occasionally took the commuter train to Chicago (!) for big city escapes to take in the museums, lakefront parks, and The Magnificent Mile.

As a kid, I loved the contrast between country and city places and the relative ease with which we could transition between both. I felt most free and alive in both the wide open spaces of my country home, and also while navigating the connected and crowded sidewalk networks of Chicago.

These elements—sidewalks, open spaces, homes, parks, sunsets—and the people who use and love them—are what makes a place, and they are the foundation of my work at Placecraft.

I am professionally certified by the American Planning Association and have a graduate degree in geography from Western Michigan University and a bachelors in geography, sociology, and writing from Aquinas College. While those degrees were awarded some time ago, I continue to seek learning around topics that are critical to my /my place’s well being, including anti-racism, equity and inclusivity in community listening/planning. These will be lifelong learning practices.

I’m proud to serve as a director on the boards of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation; the Garden Theatre in Frankfort, MI; and Grove Community Incubator, a tenant-owner of Commongrounds Cooperative, where my office is based. When not “placecrafting”, I enjoy exploring local art scenes, singing, and tromping around sidewalks and shores with my dog, Jake, and husband, Nick, a filmmaker & community builder who further inspires my care for people and place.

 

project highlights

  • Placecraft is leading community listening efforts to support the City of Dearborn Master Land Use Plan update. The City of Dearborn is a racially and culturally diverse community with over half of the city’s population identifying as of Middle Eastern or North African descent. The project team is translating all activities and content in English and Arabic and identifying and honoring cultural customs and norms as we work and learn alongside Dearborn stakeholders and residents.

  • Placecraft is leading the community engagement activities to inform the City of Marquette Master Land Use Plan update. Engagements include “tried and true” activities, including community surveys and open house style events, but communications around these opportunities are written in welcoming, approachable, and encouraging language—to model that all people, no matter their background or lived experience—and their ideas are welcome in this project. As Marquette is the home of Northern Michigan University, particular attention is being paid to welcoming students (of all ages) into the process.

  • The Elk Rapids Downtown Development Authority (DDA) embarked on a community listening process to inform DDA priorities. Placecraft supported this effort with two main goals: 1) strengthen the relationship between the DDA and their business and community constituents, and 2) provide the DDA with a better understanding of their constituents’ vision, goals, and needs, so that the DDA can respond to their community’s priorities.

  • The Traverse City Downtown Development Authority, Traverse City Police Department, and City of Traverse City developed a strategic plan to foster a healthier drinking culture in Traverse City.  Placecraft served as project lead, including overseeing a team of consultants; tracking and reporting project milestones, timeframes, and budgets; and coordinating communications between the project team, client team, and partners. This project is one of the first of its kind in the United States; learn more at www.healthierdrinkingtc.com.

  • The Community Resource Development (CRD) is a Mancelona non-profit working closely with local government, education, and business leaders to implement the community’s master and recreation plans in collaboration with the people who are most impacted by plan goals. Priorities including downtown revitalization, recreation, placemaking, workforce development, and housing initiatives. Placecraft served as project coordinator for the CRD. Learn more at www.mancelona.org.

  • In 2020, TART Trails launched a conceptual planning effort for expanding the existing Three Mile Trail to connect with the schools, businesses, and residential neighborhoods along the Three Mile and Hammond Road corridors. Placecraft led engagement efforts for the first phase of this project, which occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, and therefore required thoughtful adaptations to keep participants safe. The project team designed a mix of outdoor in-person and virtual engagement events to solicit a variety of community perspectives to inform the recommended trail corridor design.