There is a long-term, largely unmitigated, affordable housing crisis in the City of Detroit, with a long history of housing segregation, redlining, and their historic impact on. Focusing on the period from 2015 to 2019, data makes clear that the traditional mortgage market does not serve the needs of Detroiters. This Innovation Fellowship will…[Read more]

Following up on his REI co-learning plan examining issues and strategies related to the potential for rural electric cooperatives (RECs) to help bridge the digital divide, Mitchell’s Innovation Fellowship will focus on aligning a broad range of stakeholder resources to more effectively expand broadband and its benefits in rural Michigan. This w…[Read more]

The task of bringing high speed Internet to America’s rural communities remains a challenging and painfully unfinished one, aggravating the existing economic and social divides these communities face. To help address this challenge, certain rural energy cooperatives (RECs)—including three in Michigan—have begun deploying high-speed fiber optic net…[Read more]

Michael Moreno and Nathaniel Hooper researched the efficacy of using Tiny Homes to meet the affordable housing needs of Michigan communities, and how innovative building practices can mitigate some of the negative environmental impacts of these structures. This project compared the social, economic, and environmental impacts of building Tiny Homes…[Read more]

This Co-Learning Plan examines the implementation of Michigan’s municipal master plans and capital improvement plans (CIP) in the context of the challenges with public infrastructure systems and the opportunities for a future blue and green economy. Statewide information is assessed and municipal profiles are developed and compared to represent a…[Read more]

The Co-Learning Plan provides an analysis of federal, state and local policies designed to direct publicly funded infrastructure investments for strategic economic development purposes. Public policies from multiple levels of government are assessed based on factors such as geographic context, program criteria, economic impact, effects on equity,…[Read more]

Progressive farm managers often find themselves managing people as much or more than they manage animals and equipment. This dramatic change for farm owner/managers is very challenging because most have little experience and no education in the management of critical human resources. Rural economic development and the future success of Michigan…[Read more]

This Co-Learning Plan focused on the tangible tasks, challenges, and best practices associated with development and management of pop-up programs in Detroit and around the nation. Using ‘REVOLVE Detroit’ as a model, Forsyth highlights best practices and challenges.

This Co-Learning Plan describes findings from the MSU Center for Community and Economic Development based on research conducted at a global scale to identify innovative practices in regional exporting strategies and foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction.

As part of an informal coalition in Michigan working toward a future where community capital is ubiquitous and universally normalized, Revalue (project lead, Angela Barbash) would like to take responsibility for mapping the current ecosystem of people, organizations, and resources that make up the current marketplace. Present their findings to a…[Read more]

Economic development initiatives targeting entrepreneurs have found Detroit a ripe breeding ground for talent. For participating entrepreneurs, this is a time of great fortune. However, these programs are not open to all who desire to ascend to the entrepreneurial ranks. This research will focus on the definition of the underground economy,…[Read more]

This Co-Learning Plan examines how women workers and employers navigate the informal care and personal service sectors of the Detroit metropolitan region, focusing on immigrant and adjacent neighborhoods. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis has impacted women with layoffs in service sector jobs or leaving to meet family care needs.…[Read more]

This pilot project will expand the work of Wiba Anung, a partnership between the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan and representatives from Michigan State University (MSU). The MSU representatives, Dr. Barnes-Najor and Ms. Saucedo, will lead the research effort in partnership with Mrs. Schulte, Ms. Cameron, and Mrs. Martin from ITC-MI. With the…[Read more]

The subject of this Co-learning Plan is an investigation into the role that the U.S. government can play in circular economy (CE) transitions. The project works to consolidate existing international work in the field by studying transition strategies and determining transferable knowledge that can be employed in the U.S. to compliment top-down…[Read more]

The aim of this project is to eliminate food waste by making excess food accessible for people in need. A food donor (e.g., a farm, a retailer, or a catering) donates some food to a food bank. Then, the food bank will quickly decide to send the food to distribution agencies or to composting facilities. For this decision making, the food bank…[Read more]

After exhaustive study and evaluation, D4 has concluded that in order for community benefits to be effective in Michigan, they need to be embedded early in the development process. But how to effect these policies without driving away private investment remains a key question. Building from previous preliminary research, D4’s project will describe…[Read more]

This Co-Learning Plan focused on developing best practices for a small Opportunity Zone within the City of Adrian concentrating on fund development and attraction. Within an Opportunity Zone, investors may receive capital gains relief in low-income census tracts of distressed communities. As such, historical and current barriers to investment must…[Read more]

Against the reshuffled retailing landscape and the decline of traditional retailers, a hybrid strategy of combining online market place with main street, or dubbed as “click-and-mortar” electronic commerce, has gained increasing traction as a local proactive strategy due to benefits of cost-savings, improved differentiation, enhanced trust, and…[Read more]

The most common way to define a Startup Accelerator is a fixed-term, cohort based program that includes outlined objectives for the participants, industry expertise (mentorship), educational components, an exchange of funding for equity, and culminating in a “Demo Day.” With the successful increase in accelerator programs, many communities,…[Read more]

Smart cities represent the future of urban and infrastructure development. This Co-Learning Plan aims to
provide a holistic picture of the past, current, and future trends of smart cities while retaining a focus on
economic development for the state of Michigan. Specifically, this Co-Learning Plan focuses on the
concept and structure of smart…[Read more]