The Lansing Center was the place to be last week for the two-day Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit. The Summit featured a Resource Day and an Action Day to address Michigan’s transition into the New Economy.
The first day, hosted by the Land Policy Institute, focused on such issues at the core of the People and Land Pillars for Prosperity initiative. Various presenters spoke about the research related to the New Economy and prosperity for Michigan communities.
The second day, hosted by the Land Policy Institute and the Michigan Land Use Funders, focused on some of the challenges facing Michigan and the many opportunities available as we transition from the Old Economy into the New Economy.
Chris Leinberger, Professor and Director of U of M’s Real Estate Program, Developer, and Author of "The Option of Urbanism: Investing in a New American Dream," spoke about the "shifting pendulum" in Michigan and America and the need for communities to work together to become more environmentally, socially and financially stable. He also provided Michigan a to-do list for economic recovery (step one – build rail transit!). Listen to what Michigan Now’s Chris McCarus has to say.
Mark Gerzon, Consultant and Author of "Leading through Conflict: How Successful Leaders Transform Differences into Opportunities," offered eight tools to help with becoming leaders, building successful business relationships to foster collaboration, and ways to confront and successfully manage conflict through dialogue and innovation.
Bettie Buss, Senior Research Associate for the Citizen’s Research Council (CRC), spoke on federal opportunities to help Michigan prosper, along with findings on a CRC analysis. Then, a panel shared insights on how to align and leverage federal support for their efforts. Panelists included John Hertel from Detroit Regional Mass Transit.
Presentations are available online, at Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit. The Summit was also "Twittered" and "Facebooked" – "Follow Us" and "Become a Fan," respectively, at LPI’s Twitter page and LPI’s Facebook page.