The New York Times recently wrote about Ford's purchase of the long-abandoned Detroit train station. The article's subtitle is what matters: By renovating a symbol of the city’s decline, the company hopes to create a magnet for the talent needed to…
When Bart Carrigan moved from East Lansing to Minneapolis to manage his Michigan-based employer’s newly opened restaurant, he was struck by the city’s many amenities. “I love the environment, and there are a ton of outdoor activities all year round,”…
Most, if not all, major metropolitan areas have business organizations that promote the economic well being of their regions. But the Itasca Project serving Minnesota’s Twin Cities is different from just about any such organization in the country. This group…
Regional government is an elusive goal in many metropolitan areas. Look no further than metro Detroit, where several local suburban leaders are trying to kill a Regional Transit Authority that took decades to create. But regional collaboration is on steroids…
Last year we published our first-ever state policy recommendations. Our motivation for doing so is a sense of urgency that across the political spectrum we need a different set of policy options. Ideas not about how we can turn the clock…
Updated data from Joe Cortright of Impressa on the continuation of young professionals choosing to live in central cities. Cortright, using American Community Survey data, looks at the change in the number of 25-34 year olds with a four-year degree…
A few weeks ago, Amazon announced that neither of Michigan’s major metros, Detroit and Grand Rapids, are finalists for the location of HQ2. Lou wrote about why we at Michigan Future were not at all surprised. For years, MFI has…
In my last post we look at the growing wage premium for those who have a four-year degree or more. Debunking the conventional wisdom that our kids are now better off foregoing a four-year degree to go into the skilled/professional…
Close your eyes and think of Macomb County, Michigan. What comes to mind? Perhaps you think of vast stretches of industrial shops and auto plants, bedroom communities or even influential swing voters. But now county leaders are banking on a…
Recently, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced a new program that offers homes in the city's 30,000-property land bank to employees of Detroit schools - both traditional and charter - at a 50 percent discount. The idea is to attract educators…