Pittsfield Township is one of six communities across the state of Michigan recognized by University of Michigan’s (Dearborn) eCities initiative, for 
implementing strategies that foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development.
The eCities initiative is part of University of Michigan Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research. The program uniquely researches factors that contribute to economic success at the local level. In their multi-year study, the eCities initiative has grown to include 199 communities from throughout the state.
Pittsfield Township was selected as one of a handful in the state to receive the highest designation of being a 5-star Best Practices community for clearly identifying and implementing a vision to foster economic success, including articulating a placemaking strategy.
“Successful economic development is rooted in collaboration between the public, private, and academic sectors,” said Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. “Ann Arbor SPARK has been able to actively partner with Pittsfield Township to help attract and grow businesses there, ultimately creating the investment that leads to it being a strong community. Pittsfield Township is a great location where businesses and families want to be.”
“Establishing a sense of place and community through public gathering spaces, community events, multimodal amenities such as pathways and sidewalks, is one of the central tenants of our master plan. It is this placemaking strategy that both residents and businesses are increasingly responding to and making Pittsfield their home to do business, live and recreate in,” noted Supervisor Mandy Grewal.
