Great Lakes Regional Economic Initiative

Over 35 experts from a wide variety of disciplines and organizations gathered in Ann Arbor on March 14 and 15 to begin planning efforts to address the future of regional economic development in the Great Lakes meta-region. Co-hosted by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program and the Gerald R. Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan, the conference took a visionary approach to large scale regional economic development. Experts from academia, federal and state agencies, the Canadian government, large and small private firms, major foundations, and non-profit think tanks spent two days examining the shared cultural, historic and economic bonds that help define the Great Lakes region. This inaugural planning effort is expected to lead to an ongoing large scale research and outreach effort to help policymakers and others make informed decisions on matters of economic development as this economic giant known as the Midwest continues its transition from the post-industrial age to a new knowledge-based economy.

Schedule

Day 1: Monday, March 14, 2005
Location: University of Michigan Business School, Executive Education Center
Time Description 1:30pm Registration 2:15 Welcome

Bruce Katz, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program
Elisabeth Gerber, University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy
Michael Schmidt, Ford Motor Company Fund 2:30 The Great Lakes Meta-Region: Introducing the Framework

Bruce Katz, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program
John Austin, Vice-President, Michigan State Board of Education 3:20 Break
3:30 General Response to the Framework
5:00 Adjourn 6:00 Reception 7:00 Dinner

Guest speaker: Randall Kempner, Vice-President, The Council on Competitiveness

Day 2: Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Location: University of Michigan Business School, Phelps Lounge
Time Description 7:45am Registration and Breakfast 8:30 Welcome - Review and Revise the Day's Agenda

Bruce Katz, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program 8:45 How Do We Operationalize a Multi-year Great Lakes Project?
10:20 Break
10:30 What Should Be the Major Activities/products of the Project?
12:30pm Lunch
1:00 What is the End Game?
2:00 Next Steps
3:20 Wrap-up and Concluding Remarks

Bruce Katz, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program
3:30 Adjourn