| Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Program in Practical Policy Projects

Homeless Action Network of Detroit Housing Policy Research

January 2022 - April 2022
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Donovan Gayles (MPP ‘23), Anna Kelly (MPP ‘23)
The Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND)’s core mission is to provide leadership to address homelessness in Detroit. One part of executing this mission involves advocacy to promote policies that increase affordable housing stock. For their deliverable, the team created a memo presenting an analysis of federal, state and local legislation relevant to HAND’s interest in the creation and maintenance of affordable housing stock in Detroit. The memo offers a variety of advocacy options at the federal, state and local level. Options include advocating for federal legislation to create...
Program in Practical Policy Projects

Digital Access and Literacy in the Villages at Parkside

January 2022 - April 2022
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Alexia Carillo Villalobos (MPP ‘23), Devon Regal (BA ‘22)
Friends of Parkside (FOP) is a not-for-profit, community-based organization located on Detroit’s east side in the Villages at Parkside, a public housing complex. FOP has a 15-member board of directors consisting of Parkside residents and representatives from community-based organizations.This project focused on digital access in the Parkside community, specifically identifying residents’ ability to access resources and participate in programs that will enhance their ability to use less energy and save money. The deliverable was a participant pre-survey of the residents in the housing complex....
Program in Practical Policy Projects

Detroit Construction and Demolition

May 2022 - July 2022
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Alyssa Donovan (BA '23), Jinan Abufarha (BA '22), Divya K. Periakaruppan (BA '23), Sofia Olgado (BA '23)
Blight is a serious issue in the city of Detroit; in dealing with this issue, the mechanism of demolition poses a variety of issues relating to safety, sustainability, and funding due to the financial costs associated with demolition. To deal with blight more sustainably, deconstruction prior to complete demolition was proposed. In response, the PCLP Spring 2022 fellows crafted several recommendations, divided by immediate, intermediate, and future actions. The recommendations included: (1) addressing current demolition practices, (2) increasing accountability for residents from city...
Program in Practical Policy Projects

Tax Popularity Research

September 2022 - December 2022
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Iulia Dobrin (BA ‘23)
The student worked with Fund MI Future to help compile local property tax votes in Michigan to help identify policy opportunities to tip the State’s fiscal landscape to be more supportive of poor and middle-income communities. The research focused on what margin millages and millage renewals from 2012-2022 passed or failed and for what the millage was raising...
Publication

Lewis on the future of climate resilience in “haven” cities

Nov 2, 2023
Ann Arbor and other cities across the Midwest and Northeast have been referred to by climate specialists as “climate havens,” natural areas of refuge that are relatively safe from extreme weather events such as intense heat and tropical storms. Many...
News

Workshops help students communicate with clarity and impact

Oct 30, 2023
As policy professionals, Ford School graduates will need to expertly convey new ideas, propose policy to higher ups, lead teams toward a shared goal, build support among factions, present data, and respond to questions ‘on the spot.’  Much like the...
Program in Practical Policy Projects

State Data Privacy Laws

September 2022 - February 2023
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Annie Eng (MBA/MPP ‘25)
The student worked with Engine Advocacy and Research to evaluate the impact of state-by-state privacy laws on startup technology companies. Currently, data privacy laws are on a state level, resulting in varying definitions of compliance. Through interviewing stakeholders of different startups, the student learned about the impact of the current data privacy laws landscape on barriers to scalability, compliance costs (legal, operational, technology, etc.), and any implications of these costs. The student’s findings will ultimately help inform policymakers and ensure a conducive environment...
Program in Practical Policy Projects

Flint Businesses Resource Toolkit

September 2022 - December 2022
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Kaei Li (MPP '24), Ellie Bai (MPP '24)
Students collaborated with the City of Flint’s Economic Development Department and UM-Flint Office of Economic Development staff to develop a guide for new and existing businesses to understand, act on, and sustainably operate in Flint. Students engaged with key city of Flint and UM-Flint Office of Economic Development staff to understand existing resources and resource gaps for businesses and commercial property owners. A list of resources and appropriate steps were assembled to guide entrepreneurs when locating a business in an existing neighborhood context, along with business-related...