People, Places and Progress Center Stage at the 2012 Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit

• Speed Dating Presenters
• Featured Speaker Dr. Manuel Pastor
  
• Presentations
• Prosperity Moments
• 2012 Land & Prosperity Leadership Excellence Award Winner
• Final 2012 Summit Agenda

Optimism and reinvention arose as the clear themes of the Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit on Friday, April 20, 2012, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing. Co-hosted by the MSU Land Policy Institute and the Michigan Funders for Sustainable Regions, the Summit brought back “Prosperity Speed Dating,” for a second year by popular demand. Statewide leaders talked about strategies and best practices on crucial issues facing Michigan in such areas as Arts & Culture, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Partnering for Prosperity and Protection, Place-Based Strategies, Transportation, and the Urban/Metropolitan Agenda. Moderator Rob Collier, President of the Council of Michigan Foundations, kept the Speed Daters on their toes with the presence of a warning gong, courtesy of the MSU School of Music.

Dr. Scott Witter, Interim Director of LPI and Director of the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction; began the morning session with a video on Michigan Places by The Bright Side, a series determined to show what makes Michigan great.

Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Geography and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and Director of USC’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, kicked off the day's line-up of wonderful speakers, where he discussed equity as the superior answer to prosperity in the midst of the U.S.'s changing demographics.

"The best of kind of land use planning brings us together," he said.

By 2020, Dr. Pastor said research predicts the U.S. will be a minority-majority nation, which means leaders must embrace their roles and new perspectives on planning. The 2010 U.S. Census revealed that besides significant increases in people of color, the median age gaps between populations equals an entire generation gap, partially because of cities' lack of investment in the younger generation.

"Underinvestment in each other makes us less competitive as a nation," Dr. Pastor explained.

As leaders rethink their approach to equity, he said they must choose the right kind of investments, such as retaining people in central cities by sustaining an educational system to deliver smart kids and paying attention to equity during transit planning.

"If we want smart growth, we need smart kids," Dr. Pastor said.

Dr. Pastor said the U.S. has been too focused on implementing these equity-enhancing strategies in individual regions, rather than discovering how it all works together. Although Michigan is not predicted to have the same degree of demographic changes as the rest of the nation, he believes the state is in a position to turn things around and become part of the green manufacturing boom. However, this will only happen if a conscious effort is made to make sure everyone is a part of the boom.

As part of his presentation, he showcased the book he co-authored with Chris Brenner, called “Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Regions.” Dr. Pastor is also the co-author of the book “This Could Be the Start of Something Big: How Social Movements for Regional Equity are Reshaping Metropolitan America.”

Back by popular demand, the next eight presenters took part in "Prosperity Leaders: Jump-Starting Michigan" or "Prosperity 'Speed Dating.” Each gave his or her top three things about what makes them hopeful about Michigan moving forward, which included everything from the changing infrastructure to maintaining pride in place.

Tremaine Phillips, Chief Program Officer for the Prima Civitas Foundation, began the session explaining that Prima Civitas uses its 13 people to connect Michigan's best resources with major projects and promote economic change. One example Phillips gave was leveraging the state's influx of international students. When these students are here, Phillips encouraged people to foster positive relationships with them to sustain their positive experiences and develop opportunities internationally. Finally, he said that these two steps should be repeated everywhere, and as frequently as possible, to bring economic opportunity to Michigan.

One issue James van Ravensway, Instructor in MSU's School of Planning, Design and Construction, addressed was financing projects in Michigan. First, he said local economic development should be defined accurately as placemaking plus business and, thus, job creation, such as East Lansing's Technology Innovation Center. Then, to attract private capital to placemaking projects, van Ravensway stressed that there should be a regional focus, as interest shifts from tax-incentive strategy to investment strategy. A final step in comprehensive initiatives should be defining and implementing private projects, such as a proposed gateway project in the Frandor Shopping Center.

Jennifer Goulet, President and CEO of ArtServe, told of her organization's work to advocate creative industries, using strategic communications to foster art in Michigan. Data and reporting are changing the conversation that art matters in Michigan. For every $1 Michigan invests in arts and culture, $51 is pumped back into the state economy, Goulet said. She believes that arts and creativity are essential elements to building vibrant cities. Within this dynamic, the important players are artists and creative entrepreneurs, along with people who value the importance of art education, not just as an elective, but integrated into academic curricula.

When looking back at Michigan's recent history, Rachel Kuntzsch, President of Kuntzsch Business Services, Inc. and Executive Director of the Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy; said it is time to make the link between the state's economic development and taking stock in its natural resources and places. Economic development is actually the common thread among placemaking efforts and leveraging investments across the state. Aligning planning, people and funding is key, she said. Rather than telling communities how to invest, Kuntzsch said people should step back and let them learn from each other.

Harvey Hollins, III, Director of the Michigan Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives for Gov. Rick Snyder, said to strengthen the state, our cities must be strengthened. A top-down approach will not work, he said. Instead, the first step is developing and implementing an urban agenda, such as increasing public transportation, and maintaining communities’ existing assets. Next, Hollins said it is time to target investments to density strategy to look at the state's resources and figure out where the money is going. Finally, he said cross branding must occur across all of Michigan's cities to strengthen links among manufacturers. Hollins said he operates on the rule that it's easier for 20% of a system to change 80%, than for 80% to change 20%.

Place is the priceless commodity that draws talent and prosperity to communities, said Arnold Weinfeld, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Federal Affairs at the Michigan Municipal League. If leaders hope to build a prosperous Michigan, he indicated that they should be concerned with providing cultural amenities, such as transportation hubs and walkable places, as well as taking advantage of existing assets. Every place is unique, Weinfeld said, and a community's success lies in capitalizing on individual assets and the emotional component involved in placemaking. Weinfeld also said it is time to build places where people can meet, eventually creating strong metropolitan regions through bold leadership and global understanding.

Jeremy Orr, Organizer at the Interfaith Strategy for Advocacy and Action in the Community (ISAAC), explained that transportation needs to be about social mobility and building social capital. Orr's first main objective was everyone should be informed. He said it is time to dispel the idea that transportation is for the economically disadvantaged. Transportation should be affordable, equitable and accessible, he advocated. Finally, it is about action and creating a transportation equity network. With information, advocacy and action, there will be change in Michigan, Orr said.

Innovators and entrepreneurs are change agents, said Dr. Barb Fails, Associate Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship, Associate Director of Entrepreneurial Communities at LPI and Interim Director of the MSU Entrepreneurship Network. Dr. Fails, who wrapped up the enlightening Speed Dating session, believes there should be more of them in Michigan—they see opportunity over obstacle. She said she is inspired by real stories of real people making a difference, and that she is energized by Michigan, thanks to the people, places and possibilities. Dr. Fails sees a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in Michigan that creates possibility thinkers.

The event also featured four “Prosperity Moments,” or brief videos highlighting what is special about Michigan's people, places and progress. The first video came from The Bright Side (mentioned above). The second video showcased an ABC’s Good Morning America television show competition where Sleeping Bear Dunes was voted “Most Beautiful Place in America.” The final two videos (television ads) came from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Pure Michigan Campaign: “Fresh” and the “Perfect Spot.”

During the luncheon session, Gary Heidel, Executive Director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), gave a Placemaking Update, where he stressed the importance of revitalizing the sense of place in Michigan to create vibrant communities and successful economic development. Then, Dennis West, President of Northern Initiatives and the 2011 recipient of the Land & Prosperity Leadership Excellence Award, presented the 2012 award to Birgit Klohs, President and CEO of The Right Place, a regional economic development organization for the retention, expansion and attraction of businesses to the West Michigan Area. The Land & Prosperity Leadership Excellence Award is given annually at the Summit in recognition of the highest level of performance in the areas of land use and economic development.

Birgit Klohs is a native of Germany, and came to The Right Place, Inc. from Grand Valley State University (GVSU), where she served as Assistant Director of the Office for Economic Expansion. Her economic development career began in 1977 as an Industrial Consultant with the Economic Development Corporation of Berrien County. Following her experience in Berrien County, she joined the Michigan Department of Commerce as an Account Executive for the West Michigan region. She is a frequent speaker at national and international economic development conferences and seminars, and  has lectured in France, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, China, Australia and Israel. She is involved in numerous local and state-wide activities. In November, Klohs will celebrate 25 years leading The Right Place, Inc., where she has been nationally recognized as a premier economic developer responsible for West’s Michigan’s retention, expansion and business attraction and wealth creation efforts. She has lead numerous private-public collaborative efforts, including the revitalization of downtown Grand Rapids and the creation of its Medical Mile . . . truly transformational initiatives that have resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs and billions of investment.

"It's all about talent in the workforce," Klohs said. "We need to reinvest in our education system." She also talked about reinvesting in infrastructure, or the basics, to build clusters around our strengths, such as agriculture. "Thank you for putting this state back on the map," she closed.

Building on the morning session, interactive breakout sessions, or First Dates, were offered relating to moving Michigan forward in the six thematic areas: Arts & Culture, Innovation/ Entrepreneurship, Partnering for Prosperity and Protection, Place-Based Strategies, Transportation, and the Urban/Metropolitan Agenda. “Session Sparkers” (Thought, Academic and Best Practice leaders) from across Michigan joined the Speed Daters featured in the morning session in describing their strategies for moving the state forward, including what contributed to their success and barriers that impeded them. More details about the breakout sessions are available online at Summit First Dates.

During the final plenary session, "Bringing It All Together," Kirk Steudle, State Transportation Director, Michigan Department of Transportation; and Keith Creagh, Director, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, gave presentations moderated by David Egner, President and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation. Director Steudle pushed for the need to invest in transportation and develop a regional transit system in southeast Michigan. Using the latest technologies, Director Steudle said innovation is happening faster and at a smarter efficiency. According to Director Steudle, “The reinvention of Michigan means reinvesting in infrastructure, because better roads drive better jobs.”

Director Creagh noted how many times he has spoken alongside Steudle, and brought up how symbolic the collaboration is that agencies must stop competing and instead solve problems before moving ahead. Director Creagh said he has made it a priority to discuss how there needs to be a bridge between the U.S. and Canada, which is the nation's No. 1 trading country.

In general, both leaders agreed that placemaking has changed economic development in the state, and the connection between transportation and agriculture is expanding more so than ever before. To sustain long-term success, decisions need to be made with an emphasis on supporting communities.

“The Lights Are On in Michigan” was the perfect ending to the day, which showcased the beauty of Michigan through photos courtesy of the Center for Michigan and clever lyrics by Joel Mabus. As Egner summed up the day's insights with an original poem, he noted the overall theme evident throughout the day that there is a major need for strategies of inclusion, using mobility to create connections, and going back to innovation that gave the state its start.

Michigan State University’s WKAR and the School of Journalism’s student-produced newscast, “Focal Point,” were on hand at the Summit, videotaping part of the plenary session and interviewing some of the speakers. Check back soon to Summit site to view this footage.

Presentations and videos are available online, with additional information about the event available at 2012 Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit.