High-speed rail, shrinking cities, Millenials focus of U-M/ULI conf

The future of urban development and what it will mean for southeast Michigan will be the focus of the upcoming University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum today and Thursday.The 23rd annual event will be held in the Michigan League (911 N University St) in downtown Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan’s campus. There the speakers will use some local developments and practices that can be translated into examples of best practices of urban development.”We’re using Ann Arbor as a laboratory and we’re using examples that aren’t Ann Arbor specific,” says Tom Wackerman, president of ASTI Environmental and chairman of the University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum. He adds that the point is so stakeholders from other communities can translate these lesson to their own urban areas.Many of the subjects that will be broached by some marquee names in local development. Austin Black of nonprofit City Living Detroit will evaluate the ongoing “Shrinking Cities” dilemma and Carmine Palombo of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will speak about the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail project.”The rail issue is critically important, but so are the road, bus and bike issues,” Wackerman says.For information on the forum, click here.Source: Tom Wackerman, chairman of the University of Michigan/Urban Land Institute Real Estate ForumWriter: Jon Zemke