This editorial originally appeared on the One D editorial website at http://editorials.oned.org/2010/03/01/mike-brennan-president-and-ceo-united-way-for-southeastern-michigan-leadership-message/

True to our mission, the United Way's perspective on regional transit stems from access to help. Lack of adequate, efficient public transportation consistently hinders the efforts of the United Way and other community organizations working to assist people in need. As such, the lack of a comprehensive regional transit system has been a major barrier to the improvement of the health of individuals and families.

About 700,000 people in Southeast Michigan don't know where they will find their next meal. We receive calls into our 211 information referral help line from those looking for resources, including access to food. Many have children to feed, and are making decisions on whether to pay rent, utility bills, or to buy groceries. There are wonderful organizations in the area that can help them – but unfortunately many people have no way of getting to these places. If help is not near where people live and they don't have any access to transportation, we have a gap between the demand for help and the available helping resource. Regional transportation will bridge that gap.

Building that bridge requires regional collaboration. Communities in Southeast Michigan have traditionally favored self-interest over partnership. Metro Detroit is beginning to transform as a result of the economic challenges of recent years. A shift in consciousness is occurring, creating a willingness of individuals to work together and cooperate in ways that they never have before. That has birthed a different level of awareness about the strategic role mass transit plays to economic vitality and growth - attracting capital, development, and young talent. Communities are beginning to see what this investment will return.

Practically, we've got to tangibly demonstrate what rapid mass transit would look and feel like. We should have it underway and utilized in order for people to fully understand it. The best thing that we can do is ensure that the early projects that are in development, such the Ann Arbor to Detroit rail or the M-1 line, get launched and operational. It is tangible experience that draws people to imagine a bigger and brighter future. In using mass transit, they can imagine how it might be useful in their town, by their place of work, and they can envision it as a part of their everyday lives.

As transportation improves for everyone, quality of life increases. As quality of life increases, our region will be in a better position to ensure that citizens in need can receive the help they deserve.

Labels: Michael_Brennan, One D, regionalism

Posted by Karl Gregory and Michele Hodges at 2:29 PM to Crain's Detroit Business Mackinac Public Policy blog

This posting has been jointly written by an African American male, Dr. Karl D. Gregory, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Oakland University, and a white female, Michele Hodges, President of the Troy Chamber of Commerce. We are two individuals that have met today, for the very first time. Karl lives in Oakland County, Michele in Wayne. Neither now lives in Detroit, but both recognize the future of the Detroit Region is integrally related to the health of Detroit itself.

In the course of our discussion, the topic of race relations arose, and we found that we are like minded on numerous fronts. We identified the need for One D to emerge as an important part of the solution, in addressing race relations.

The Region will thrive or fail, as the city of Detroit does. We both would like nothing better than for One D to be successful, and for each of its priority goals to be achieved. Today, we would like to cast a spotlight on the Race Relations priority. We hope that our thoughts might affect those who have the responsibility for administering this priority.

We believe the Race Relations priority must be adequately defined, inclusive of items such as minimization of incentives contributing to urban sprawl, combatting racism, and a substantial lessening of racial disparities. We as a Region must determine what is achievable, and work deliberately to make it happen. We must be accountable to one another. We must move forward in a united, concise and directed fashion. We must set a direct course and obtain the cooperation of others in holding steadfast to this course.

Colorblindness, a movement beyond race, forgetting race, or building bridges, are blind alleys and not what we seek. For example, we are suggesting that "building bridges" would be to settle for less, for lands that are bridged will not become one land, and will never blend into one autonomous, unified entity. Instead of building bridges, we must strive to join the two lands, reducing as much as we can the gap, thereby removing more of the differences, and creating a society built on respect, and one that celebrates racial differences. As has been said of late, "different is not deficient."

We have to be courageous, direct, honest, transparent, and accountable. Our Detroit Region is the most segregated in the United States. It is our own, and it is in our own interest to march towards a re-integration. We wish the Region to become a thriving, diverse, and integrated place. Success in this means that our children and grandchildren will grow up in an environment where people get to know, understand and respect each other, rather than be divided by skin color and ethnic differences. We pray that One D will capture the essence of this diversified approach to racial harmony.

Labels: One D

One D Dropout Prevention Summit and Retreat in review from United Way on Vimeo.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, One D

By Amy Lane - Crain's Detroit Business

MACKINAC ISLAND -- The Detroit region is making progress towards the collaborative goals of One D but has much work to do, said Edsel Ford II, speaking at the opening session of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference.

Ford, who champions the One D effort to align private, public and non-profit sectors towards the achievement of common, regional priorities, said “he is pleased to report…that the needle is moving.”

He released a One D scorecard that he said represented “a snapshot of a given moment in time,” adding that the goals and priorities of the effort are long-term. The previously established priorities are:

• Economic prosperity – a regional economy that outperforms peer regions in attracting and retaining talent, builds and entrepreneurial culture and provides opportunity for all segments of the population.


• Educational preparedness – a region recognized for high-quality K-12 and secondary education programs that successfully align to current and future workforce needs.


• Quality of life – A region that meets the basic needs of all its residents and provides them with resources for quality health care, recreation, education, arts and culture.


• Race relations – A region of racial diversity where inclusion and equal opportunity are pervasive in public and private institutions, housing, community involvement and economic achievement.


• Regional transit – A coordinated safe and cost-effective transit system that provides for the flow of people and commerce to major population centers, social services, entertainment venues and transportation hubs.

The priorities to receive the lowest grades, categorized as missing their targets, are race relations and educational preparedness. In race relations, progress includes work underway to gather data that can be used towards the goals of improving individuals’ socio-economic and educational status, and funding obtained to measure the perceptions of race relations, discrimination and equal opportunity in the region.

In terms of educational preparedness, progress includes programs that have been or are being launched to increase the number of children and adults reading at grade level, and increasing numbers of schools are participating in efforts to increase the graduation rate of high school students and reduce dropout rates.

Receiving medium grades, categorized as further action required, are the priorities of economic prosperity, quality of life and regional transit.

In economic prosperity, progress includes some $4 billion in new investment in regional Detroit in 2007, raising $46 million towards a $100 million regional growth capital fund, developing a plan for a “creative corridor,” and moving forward an internship/apprentice program.

Quality of life progress includes a clearinghouse for arts and cultural institutions to collaborate, a “museum adventure pass” that brought 32,000 new visitors to 25 museums over a four-month period, the Kresge Foundation award of three-year general operating grants to 53 organizations, and the launch of the One D brand.

So far, 64 companies have adopted the D brand and backers will press forward this year for more businesses to do the same, Ford said.

Finally, in the area of regional transit, progress includes the identification of priority corridors for improved transit service, discussion of legislation to establish a regional transit authority in Southeast Michigan, efforts to increase Michigan transportation funding, and work toward light rail and commuter rail options.

“We are picking up momentum in the work we are doing under our five priorities,” Ford said. “We are now in the process of pulling away from baselines. Now we have to continue the work.”

One D is a group of six regional civic organizations working collaboratively. The organizations are: The Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Earlier in May, One D announced that it had received $810,000 in grants from the area’s leading foundations, toward its efforts. The grants from the Hudson Webber Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the McGregor Fund and the Skillman Foundation, bring the effort’s total budget to $1.5 million.

The scorecard is available on the One D Web site.

Labels: One D

Posted by Karl D. Gregory to the Mackinac Policy Conference blog

Early discussions of ONE D focused on transparency, accountability, focus, regionalism and a transition to a better Detroit metropolitan economy. This was said to have been in response to the wishes of thousands of persons who were surveyed, approached in focus groups or accessed otherwise about their hopes for the future in the Detroit area.

One wonders if Edsel Ford's Report Card scheduled for May 28 would engender added interest and understanding had two short preliminary sets of reports been issued to the public ahead of the Chamber's Regional Conference. Each of the six major agencies with the responsibility for implementation of ONE D could have issued a short report on the goals set last year, the efforts and accomplishments to date and the objectives for next year. Further, the agency in the lead for each of the five ONE D priorities could have distributed a short overview on the nature and baseline data for that priority, the plans, hoped for timeline and expected accomplishments in the future, together with indications on how progress would be measured for that priority. Should such a report not be possible, the report could have been explicit about why and the alternatives.

Perhaps next year, such an approach might be taken to promote understanding, transparency and to accelerate interest in the presentation of the scorecard to be given at the Policy Conference. When businessmen are serious, they plan against anticipated performance guidelines and monitor closely the results.

I look forward eagerly to Edsel Ford's presentation and applaud him for taking on this major leadership responsibility which is greatly important to the region.

Labels: One D

The failure of high schools has taken a huge toll on our state. A recent Johns Hopkins University study revealed that 73 high schools in Michigan have graduated less than 60 percent of their freshmen class for three straight years.

The problem is serious and it's not just an "urban" issue. Only half of the schools identified as troubled are located in larger cities, including 22 in Detroit. Another 12 schools are in Detroit suburbs, and 40 others are scattered around the state in small towns, including districts with strong financial support.

Listen to the standard line and you would believe money is a central barrier to school transformation. The real issue is one of public will.

Click here to continue reading.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, One D

One D, a collaboration of six major civic organizations in metro Detroit led by Edsel B. Ford II to transform the region, responded to yesterday's story on the dropout issue and its effect on Detroit. The America's Promise Alliance release of a study that found that half of the students served by public school systems in the nation's largest cities receive diplomas. Seventeen of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50%, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland.

While there are continuing discussions on how the drop out rates are calculated and what may be a more accurate process, any method demonstrates that the number of dropouts in urban settings across the country is too high. One D has dedicated its support to improving this condition.

The dropout rate is not a new problem for the region or the nation. The partners of One D are committed to finding innovative ways to solve the problem. One D will convene partners and resources in a different way to create change as evidenced by a Dropout Prevention Summit being held on April 24-25, 2008 in conjunction with America's Promise and the Skillman Foundation at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield.

"Unless we work together to stem the tide of the current high school dropout rate in our region, our community will suffer devastating long-term effects," said Michael J. Brennan, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "Individual and community levels of academic attainment are one of the single most critical predictors of personal health, life expectancy, potential earnings, crime rates and civic participation. Unless more people complete school prepared to succeed in the workforce, southeast Michigan will be unable to compete in the global economy."

One D's "Dropout Prevent Summit" is being funded by America's Promise, the Skillman Foundation and the United Way to raise awareness of this epidemic locally, to showcase cities and organizations that have successfully turned around their worst performing schools, and to equip school and community leaders with the vision and tools to begin the design of their own school turnaround efforts.

"The good news is that high-performing, high-poverty high schools have emerged across the nation," said Shirley Stancato, President of New Detroit. "It has also been shown that there are conditions which must be in place for high schools to flourish for kids who confront the myriad of challenges of poverty on a daily basis. The purpose of One D's Dropout Prevention Summit is to learn from the people and schools who have successfully changed those conditions, and to make plans to accomplish the same in our region," she added.

The Dropout Prevention Summit, April 24-25, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield. Keynote speakers include:

• Connie Calloway, Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools
• David Hecker, President of the American Federation of Teachers, Michigan Chapter
  
• Michael Flanagan, State Superintendent of Schools
  

For more information on the partners of the One D collaborative and the Dropout Prevention Summit, visit http://www.oned.org/ .

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, One D

Posted By: Kat Owsley, 3/23/2008

I gave a presentation to the Birmingham Bloomfield Task Force on Race Relations this week (by the way, they are a great group). It is the largest task force of its kind in the region and a valuable asset to the race relations component of One D. It’s a group like this that can provide best practices and a structured forum for breaking down racial stereotypes.

I was asked some tough questions by one of their members about whether One D is exclusive and whether we’re engaging others in the collaboration. These were good questions because I think this is where we get a lot of confusion as it relates to the purpose of One D.

Inherently, the public is already engaged because it was the public who was polled initially and asked for more regional collaboration and a champion for their top five issues (economic prosperity, educational preparedness, quality of life, race relations and regional transit). Those involved in One D agreed to take responsibility to report on progress being made in these areas whether it is our work or someone else’s.

And again, the public is inherently involved in that we will circle back periodically to ask "How are we doing as a region in these five areas?"

And to reinforce the point about exclusivity—One D founding organizations alone can’t possibly close the gap on these priorities even if we wanted to. In some cases we’re not the owners nor are we the experts. There are others that "do the work" –they will be the ones that push us forward in certain areas.

For example, there is a lot of great buzz out there about transit projects, asset mapping of our greenways spaces and water board collaborations just to name a few.

Brian Balasia of Digerati Solutions realized his vision this past week and by happy coincidence contributed to some of the goals of One D as well. Brian developed a concept to bring together smaller firms that are looking for talent (and thereby want to keep talent here) with students from the U of M Engineering School who are looking for an opportunity after school where they can do more than live in a "cube farm".

This was a win-win-win idea. Small companies had access to an event that leveled the playing field between big and small company. No big, glitzy Boeing exhibit booth next to a small card table with a table cloth. Brian took a more egalitarian approach so small firms wouldn’t be dwarfed by the larger firms. Students would get exposure to firms that would allow them a wider range of experience and thereby perhaps give them greater entrepreneurial preparation.

Finally, the region wins if an event like this one –that I hope will be duplicated at other universities---helps move the needle on in-migration or higher retention rates of secondary degree holders.

In a similar vein, Darlene Trudell at the Engineering Society of Detroit is doing some amazing work that not only will help us keep some of our secondary degree holders here but will prepare kids in secondary school and earlier for science and science-oriented careers by pairing up the private sector and students. Again, not founders of One D but regional groups and people that will help our progress.

So I throw the question back to the rest of you. What is your organization doing to close the gap in these areas? Are you doing work that will help the region improve in race relations? Grade level reading?

One D founders and their boards of directors were never meant to be acting as an island doing work apart from the rest of the region. One D will strive to be inclusive as a movement and incorporate others into the vision for each of the priorities.

We want to hear from you, so please contact us. What are you doing to get involved?

Labels: One D

Posted By: Kat Owsley, 3/20/2008

I was sitting in a board of directors strategic planning meeting last week for the Michigan Society of Association Executives and we were talking about things we need to be aiming for as an organization, objectives, goals, etc.

I was talking about data. If our data showed definitively what we all suspect--that many of our active members are within earshot of retirement--then we probably need to be talking about how to make membership attractive to the millennials.

Millenials.

Everyone seems obsessed with them: attracting millennials to the region, keeping college students here after graduation---there’s even a new Young Professionals track at the Mackinac Policy Conference this year. I marvel about how wanted millennials must feel.

Anyhow, there are two things that strike me in particular about the millenials and the work that we are measuring and tracking with One D.

First, as it relates to our Race Relations priority, I have been obsessing about what kind of survey results we would get if we developed a race relations perception survey and divided the responses by "under 25" and "over 50".

I maintain that if you survey people from the region (an appropriate sample size spread among the region geographically and representative of our racial make-up) and ask about status of race relations, levels of interaction, integration, comfort level, etc. you would find a significant difference in the responses. It seems like younger people are more relaxed talking about race and are more apt to be interactive. And to take that one step further, if that is the case, that’s one more reason why this is a desirable group of people to attract to or keep in the region. The larger the influx of this group, the more improvements you would see in race relations in the region.

Not everyone agrees with me. In fact, one of my bosses disagrees with me. They maintain that it’s institutional. That by going through school and work in this region the divisiveness is enforced and the status quo reigns. I’m curious to hear about how others view this issue.

Second, I was talking to Kerry Doman, of After Five, the other day about how everyone is obsessing about people her age and we were talking about the Quality of Life priority.

The One D vision for quality of life centers around arts and culture, parks, greenspaces and healthcare. That seemed pretty representative to me until I spoke with Kerry. She immediately said that if she was asked what Qualify of Life meant to her, she would think of a rich and lively after five (no pun intended) scene--lots of places to go, things to do, people engaging in a lively night life.

I found this interesting. Quality of Life is pretty subjective for all of us, I guess. But if we are putting a lot of stock in the millennial population keeping our region healthy, vibrant and growing, I wonder if we need to tweak how we look at this as One D and as a region to coincide with the other goals we have on attracting and retaining this "holy grail" of demographics.

Until tomorrow!

Labels: One D

Posted By: Kat Owsley, 3/19/2008

I think there’s a lot of confusion out there about One D so I’m here to set the record straight.

To be honest, we’re not too concerned that you actually know who we are or what we do. Instead we’d rather you know about the work we care about.

For instance, we’d rather you know that metro Detroit's "entrepreneurship ranking" is 29 out of 50 ...when compared with other U.S. metro areas (Source: Entrepreneurship Magazine "Hot Cities for Entrepeneuers, 2006").

We’d also rather you know that our region ranked 50th out of 50 when compared with other large metro areas in terms of job growth for 2005-2006 (Source: US Census Bureau).

Furthermore, we’d probably rather you know that according to the 2006 MEAP results, 18% of 6th graders in the tri-county region—not the city of Detroit but the region--- are not reading at their grade level.

So now that you know all this, maybe I can tell you a little more about how One D fits in and what we hope to accomplish.

One D is not an organization but a collaborative that is made up of six founding CEO’s: Doug Rothwell (Detroit Renaissance), Dick Blouse (Detroit Regional Chamber), Larry Alexander (Metro Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau), Maud Lyon (The Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan), Shirley Stancato (New Detroit) and Michael Brennan (United Way for Southeastern Michigan).

This group came together to eliminate some of the redundancies in the work their organizations were doing individually and to address five priorities identified through extensive community surveying in southeast Michigan.

What did these survey results reveal? Well, first of all, that people want to see more regional collaboration. But they also identified five particular areas where they would like to see improvement in the region:

• regional transit
• quality of life
• economic prosperity
• educational preparedness
• race relations

And so the six founders of One D created a vision statement, objectives and supporting strategies for tackling each of these priorities.

For example, one of our objectives in Educational Preparedness is to achieve a rank in the top 10 of 20 largest metro areas with individuals with post-secondary education (our current rank is 18). Both our economic prosperity and our educational preparedness work supports this objective with strategies such as retaining college educated talent in the region through an aggressive, regional internship program or linking college graduations to entrepreneurial opportunities.

Here’s another example, we have an objective to increase the number of third graders who can read at grade level. We often hear (especially from Mike Brennan!) that by third grade you should be reading to learn not learning to read. So part of One D’s work is to raise awareness about how many kids are not reading at grade level and to continue to measure and report those statistics, to share that information with the region so we can create community will toward changing this problem. And finally, One D can help facilitate the recruitment and mobilization of volunteers to work with students on a weekly basis as reading tutors in the schools (to find out more on how to get involved click here)

The work we do every day in pursuit of those objectives is really the heart of One D. Our measure of success will not be whether the "man on the street" can identify what One D is, but rather if we can move the needle forward toward achieving those objectives.

Tomorrow I’d like to talk about other ways people can help and tell you about some of the work that others are doing outside of One D.

Labels: One D

One D largely unknown to Southeast Michigan execs

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Sheena Harrison
Published: 6:00 am, June 11, 2007

Most Southeast Michigan business executives polled in the EPIC/MRA survey conducted for Crain's Detroit Business and Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn L.L.P. say they've never heard of One D, but believe the initiative will be effective.

According to the survey, 73 percent said they had never heard of One D, which is a group of six organizations working together on priorities for the region: the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

Its five priorities are economic prosperity, educational preparedness, regional transit, race relations and quality of life.

Once the goals and partners of One D were explained to survey respondents, 60 percent said they expected One D to be effective in achieving its goals.


A third of respondents said they expect One D will be only slightly effective or not effective at all.

Marcie Brogan, CEO of Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing in Birmingham, said she's surprised more people aren't aware of One D since she said local media outlets have been reporting about the initiative.

She believes interactive marketing, such as Web sites and blogs, may help spread the word.

— Sheena Harrison

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Bill Shea and Jennette Smith
Published: June 04, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND — An opening session for the Mackinac Policy Conference served as a rallying cry for the One D collaborative effort with participants urging more business and government leaders to join in.

In his opening remarks Wednesday, One D champion Edsel Ford asked for audience members to make regionalism a way of life. Afterward, a panel of members from the participating groups in One D discussed progress and challenges.

“Parts working together in harmony is an apt description of the communities of the Detroit region, when we are at our very best,” Ford said. “The way we pulled together for last year's Super Bowl is just one recent example. But that was an effort built around an occasion. For the communities of regional Detroit to shine their brightest, we need more than an occasional effort ... we need to embrace regionalism. We need to make it a way of life.”

For One D, a group of six regional civic groups that are working together on five priorities for the region, to succeed, each organization needs to exhibit organizational selflessness, Ford said. The groups behind One D are the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

The five priorities are economic prosperity, educational preparedness, regional transit, race relations and quality of life, with regional collaboration as an umbrella over all.

Maud Lyon, founding director of the Cultural Alliance, said “One D is about eliminating duplication of efforts.”

And, by laying regionalism over the top with Ford as “the guru of regional collaboration” Richard Blouse, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said the inter-related priorities can move along faster.

Doug Rothwell, president of Detroit Renaissance, said the five priorities are at different stages of evolution and some will require more change. And Michael Brennan, president and CEO of the United Way, compared the region's movement to a One D framework to a technology upgrade.

“We've operated for a long time on DOS,” he said. “We're trying to move to Windows.”


Ford, when interviewed after the panel discussion, said One D next needs to get more corporate leaders, nonprofit leaders and elected officials behind the effort. County executives, for example, would be a great addition. Ideally, Ford said, even after progress is made on priorities, the One D work plan can be updated and continue instead of disbanding.

“The theory is: This is a process,” he said.

For now, until more specifics about business support are announced, supporters can speak positively about the region and find ways to collaborate more often, panelists said.

One element has already been made public is the “Road To Renaissance” regional economic revitalization plan from Detroit Renaissance, the CEO council representing the region's largest employers. That effort, which has a $75 million-$80 million price tag, was rolled out in November. It identified six economic revitalization goals for the region, and 11 strategies to accomplish those objectives were made public on May 1. (See story, Page M65.)

One D has what it calls numerous supporting organizations involved in its specific efforts, said Christina Lovio-George, president and CEO of Lovio George Inc., which was hired to handle media relations for One D. Those include Ann Arbor Spark, Automation Alley and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and is in talks with others, such as the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition.

Paul Tait, executive director of SEMCOG and president of MAC, said talks remain under way to get MAC involved in the One D effort. MAC is a regional public-private partnership that promotes quality of life and economic issues in the region.

“There needs to be a way for the other organizations to engage with One D,” Tait said. “All of those organizations need to make sure we're all working from a complimentary playbook.”

The notion of regional collaboration is driving force for all of One D's efforts, said Dick Blouse, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber

“One D is built on two pretty simply pinnacles — it's essential the region stands above any one municipality; the region has to be what's looked at as what is best for the region,” he said. “Secondly, all of us will learn to think that way. That's a huge change. It's saying, "How does what I do affect the region?' ”

The Michigan Minority Business Development Council is participating in One D's regional transit objective, said Louis Green, the council's president and CEO who said the importance of regional collaboration can't be stressed enough.

“Regionalism is a necessity if we are going to quickly emerge from the business malaise we're experiencing. We are only going to be successful as a region,” he said. “I don't see it yet, and what I'm hoping to see is people acting, speaking regionally.”

Green said his 2,500-member organization is happy to be involved because minority-owned businesses are an overlooked force in the region.

“We're not often part of these conversations,” he said.

One D is “deliberate in effort to not try to plan for everyone in the region,” Rothwell said. By limiting things, that helps eliminate the main criticism of regional plans in the past — money from the suburbs being siphoned to fix Detroit.

“Work in the past on regionalism has tended to gravitate toward win-lose scenarios: One community benefits at the expense of another,” he said. “That is a reason why this initiative can work so well — all priorities benefit the entire region; they certainly don't hurt anyone.”

What's next is “taking it to the next level” Rothwell said. In other words, finding additional outside organizations that can collaborate with the six charter organizations.

“Mackinac is the vehicle for allowing that to happen,” Rothwell said.

The Road To Renaissance plan, which includes significant elements from the chamber's study, is the major contribution to One D from Detroit Renaissance, Rothwell said, so he'll be on the island to tout the overall effort, network and answer questions.

“Right now, what we're trying to get across is, we haven't had anything like this before. This is a big first step for the region,” he said.

Bill Shea: (313) 446-1626, bshea@ crain.com

Jennette Smith: (313) 446-0414, jhsmith@crain.com

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Detroit Free Press
By: RON DZWONKOWSKI, FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
Published: June 3, 2007

Strategy must bring meaning to regional cooperation

MACKINAC ISLAND -- If you did not spend the past few days in meeting rooms at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, you have probably never heard of something called One D: Transforming Regional Detroit. And maybe you never will.

You're supposed to feel it.

"This is a movement we are trying to create," said Doug Rothwell, president of Detroit Renaissance, one of the six founding organizations of One D.

"This is like going from a DOS operating system to Windows," said Mike Brennan, president of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, another founder.

"It might be five years before you see the needle move on some of these issues, but it's going to happen," promised Maud Lyon, founding director of the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

What, exactly?

That's a fair question, since this One D thing hardly marks the first effort to pull the Detroit region together, nor the first to be rolled out in a big way at the annual Mackinac conference of the Detroit Regional Chamber, another of the founding organizations. Why is this one going to be different?

The leaders of the organizations involved -- the others are New Detroit and the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau -- understand the question and the skepticism they face. But they appeared undaunted at meeting after meeting during the conference, insisting they have achieved a new level of cooperation and that now, in these tough times, is when change must begin.

That may be the best case they can make even if they can't say it too loudly because it sounds threatening. But we are threatened. We're in bad shape, in danger of becoming an economic backwater, and nothing in the current power structure can fix it. Something's got to give, and it might as well be all those old barriers that have impeded progress for so many decades.

Even if you don't know what One D is, you know where those barriers are: between city and suburb, black and white, Republican and Democrat, have and have-not, plus along county lines, city and township borders, and between the Detroit region and the rest of Michigan. Those barriers generate suspicion, closed-mindedness and a me-first instead of we-first attitude that has blocked movement on such basic things as a coordinated, comprehensive bus system.

Dick Blouse, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, noted that the Chamber first adopted a resolution 40 years ago in support of regional mass transit. That's four decades. And today, more people than ever drive themselves to work every day and grumble about the traffic while those who take the bus have a harder time than ever getting where they need to go. That's progress?

One D: Transforming Regional Detroit has staked out six areas for measurable progress, with "measurable" being a key word. After all, if nothing changes, nothing changes, so this group needs to be all about results.

The areas are economic prosperity, with goals including job growth in the upper fourth of the nation's 50 largest metro areas; educational preparedness, with goals including high school graduation rates in the top half of the nation's 20 largest metro areas; quality of life, with goals including "fully sustainable arts, cultural and social service organizations"; and race relations, with one goal of increasing positive media coverage of the region's diversity; and the aforementioned regional transit. On that last, the goal isn't this specific, but the first thing needed is an end to the ability of communities to opt out of the SMART system. Bus service is never going to be regional if buses have to keep going around the likes of Livonia and Novi.

One D deliberately kept government agencies out of its structure because it intends to be a one-voice advocate for public policies that are consistent with economic development in the region. And government tends to start from what you can't do instead of what you can.

Edsel Ford II has been named to lead a Champions Council that is charged with evaluating One D's progress on each of its priorities and issuing an annual report. Here's hoping he issues more than one, because this region ran out of excuses for not changing a long time ago and now is running out of options.

"Regionalism is the only way we will be able to compete in a global economy," Ford said in a speech to the conference. "That is the essence of our motivation to act and think differently."

That, and a healthy measure of fear.

RON DZWONKOWSKI is editor of the Free Press editorial page. Contact him at dzwonk@freepress.com or 313-222-6635.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Sheena Harrison
Published: June 01, 2007 5:28PM

MACKINAC ISLAND — Detroit has had a long history of racism and segregation that will continue to burden the region’s future if business and community leaders don’t step up to promote understanding between communities, said Kevin Boyle, a Detroit native and author of Arc of Justice.

The book, which was distributed to all Mackinac Policy Conference attendees, details the history of racial divisions in Detroit based on the murder trial of Ossian Sweet, a black physician who faced murder charges in 1925 for defending his Detroit home against a mob intent on keeping a neighborhood all white.

During a speech at the conference Friday afternoon, Boyle said Detroit’s early segregation history led up to the Detroit riots of 1967 — an event he said still plays into the region’s race relations.

Promoting racial understanding in metro Detroit means people must make a conscious effort to move forward from the past, Boyle said.

“We Detroiters continue to carry the heavy weight of our segregationist past, and it is an awesome burden,” he said. “We can shrug it off, but only if we’re willing to try.”

A panel of business leaders agreed that area leaders need to follow through on race-relations discussions by taking action in their community.

“We need to get beyond some of the rhetoric and break down barriers,” said Reginald Turner, member of law firm Clark Hill plc in Detroit.

“It is every one of our responsibilities to contribute to having a healthy community,” said Sandra Pierce, president and CEO of Charter One Bank in Michigan and Indiana.

Anthony Earley Jr., CEO of DTE Energy Co., said he believes the One D initiative is a step in the right direction because it includes multiple partners and aims to improve race relations as one of its goals.

“This integration of various factors is one of the reasons I believe One D has it right,” Earley said.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Amy Lane
Published: June 01, 2007 5:18PM

MACKINAC ISLAND — The traditional Big Five session at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference generated few sparks but covered issues shared by leaders of the Detroit region, including collaboration, workforce development and transportation.

The topics included:

* The One D collaborative effort and regionalism. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Macomb County Commission Chairman William Crouchman, Wayne County Exeutive Robert Ficano and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick expressed support, and Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis said he applauds the effort. “You’ve achieved something that is remarkable, and that is bringing everybody together to speak with one voice for the region.”
“Investors abroad look at us as one region. When I’m out there promoting, I’m promoting the Detroit-Windsor area.”

Said Ficano: “It’s only when we really consolidate our resources as a region, that we’re going to be able to compete.”

*On the state’s moves to shore up its fiscal problems, and the possibility of future revenue-sharing cuts, Kilpatrick said the city has endured past losses in revenue sharing by looking for “creative ways” that include government reforms, cutting expenses and raising fees. Even so, he said, “I think everybody here has sustained their bond rating, while the state has not. I want them to leave me alone; it’s their problem.”

* On the role of the news media in shaping the region’s image, Kilpatrick said electronic media focuses on crime in Detroit and then “balloon day” in St. Clair Shores. He also criticized media decisions that dispatched reporters to follow his every move while Ficano could freely travel to Europe or Asia on trade missions. “It’s tied to that race thing we have to work on in the region,” Kilpatrick said, referring to an earlier conference session.

Ficano said the image shaped by news media affects young adults’ decisions on whether to live and work in the region.

* On preparing future workforces. Crouchman said Macomb County has dipped into its own general fund to replace the elimination of federal funds for retraining auto workers, and while the auto industry continues to be an important part of the county’s structure, “we realize that we’ve got to diversify. It’s absolutely essential.” For example, the county has added many new jobs in medical and service industries, he said.

Patterson highlighted his efforts to identify and attract emerging business sectors. He also said Oakland County school districts are teaching Mandarin, and “I think long term, and we stay with that program and the kids learn the basics of the society, culture…the kids will be in a position to compete.”

While some of the themes discussed during the Big 5 and other conference sessions were repetitive about regional collaboration, workforce development and other issues, some attendees said they felt the idea-sharing was productive.

“You never know what’s really going to work,” said Tom Shields, president of Lansing-based Marketing Resource Group Inc. “Sharing your best ideas is good…non of them (the panelists) are immune to the negative economic forces that have taken place in the state.”

* On the state budget. Patterson and Kilpatrick agreed that radical changes to state employee benefit packages needed to happen. And Kilpatrick even suggested health savings accounts rather than conventional medical coverage for state employees.

Jennette Smith contributed to this story.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Mackinac Policy Conference Coverage blog

By: WWJ and the Great Lakes IT Report
Published: May 31, 2007

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: Thursday, May 31, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND -- Leaders of One D made their last effort Friday at the Mackinac Policy Conference to rally support for the newest effort to spur success in Metro Detroit.

"We have to behave as a region and constantly do that and monitor each other," said Maud Lyon, counsel for Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, one of the six major civic groups steering One D.

One D will now look for other organizations to partner with as they start putting their plan into motion.

Lyon said One D wants ideas that span the region and address One D's mission of improving economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit. Goals include increasing per capita income, making sure every child reads at grade-level and implementing a regional transportation system.

"We're going to see some critical mass of people who want to contribute," said Michael J. Brennan, president of United Way of Southeastern Michigan, another of the founding One D members.

One D has a steep road to reach success because their path before has been littered with failure. The issues the group wants to address have for decades been targeted for improvement, often by the same organizations now leading One D, and are still problems. On that list of chronic failures is regional transportation and improved race relations.

For now, about 500 people at a Friday breakfast meeting on the final day of the Mackinac Policy Conference were solicited to contact One D with their ideas.

Four public sessions are to be announced in the next two months to inform more people about One D in Metro Detroit.

Those at the breakfast meeting were also told to begin thinking how they can integrate a new marketing drive and "brand" identity started by the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitor Bureau to attract 21-34 year olds.

The logo for the brand is an English-style "D" that floats above the words "cars," "culture," "gaming," "music," and "sports."

TV spots will start this summer in Grand Rapids and Cleveland touting the city as a place for young people to visit.

Lyon said tourism is akin to cleaning up your house for visitors. Not only do you have to spiff it up, she said, but you also have to promote the good and not focus on the bad.

The other groups working on One D include Detroit Renaissance, Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber and New Detroit.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: Thursday, May 31, 2007

Group of six Metro organizations plan to gather feedback as they work to improve region.

MACKINAC ISLAND -- Promising that One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, would succeed in improving the region in areas where other groups have failed, Edsel B. Ford II vowed there would be annual public report cards of progress.

"We need to make cooperation an ongoing way of life," said Ford, the point person for One D, whose members include the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.

The group's goals would be steered by already-completed surveys of roughly 10,000 area residents, he said. The surveys, administered by the individual groups, found five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.

"This vision is not by us, but it's by the community," said Maud Lyon, counsel for the Cultural Alliance. "It's about elimination of duplication -- when we go to Washington, it's together."

One D will be a major focus of this year's Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference with sessions daily on what the group can do to execute its goals.

By working together, One D hopes to have the region's private sector speak as one voice, whether in Lansing or Detroit; get private-sector funding to back their plans; and foster foundations, businesses and other groups to work together.

Being willing to share the group's successes and failures with the region is one way to ensure progress is made, Ford said.

Ford said the group's members looked at how regions in Charlotte, Denver, Philadelphia and Houston worked together successfully.

"If they can do it, the region that put the world on wheels surely can do it," he said.

Roughly 1,700 business, union, civic and political leaders kicked off the annual Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday.

In the past, the three-day session held at the posh Grand Hotel, had come up with exciting ideas but leaders were criticized for not following through.

In previous years leaders had touted expanded mass transit, such as large, multi-unit buses that would help commuters in the region, to Cobo Center expansion plans.

The group addressed that concern head-on.

"We want a public, transparent scorecard," said Michael J. Brennan, president of United Way of Southeastern Michigan.

That way, he explained, One D is under more pressure to perform.

"One D is all about removing roadblocks and leveraging our champions to do that," Ford said.

Last year, Ford and others used the conference as a forum to tout why a group like One D is needed and this year will use the conference as a forum to address how they will operate.

Detroit Renaissance President Doug Rothwell said progress is being made in all five areas.

"All (the) different priorities are in different stages of evolution, but all have equal weight," he said.

"But some are further along in terms of being resolved."

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: Friday, June 01, 2007

Group hopes to build transit system by 2015, wants all kids to be literate.

MACKINAC ISLAND -- All children in Metro Detroit will read at grade level and a true regional transit system will be in place by 2015, according to specific goals listed Thursday by the fledgling One D group.

The people driving One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, gave details for the first time here of what they wanted to accomplish in their initiative to bolster southeast Michigan.

"We don't want young people leaving and no one coming here," said Richard Blouse Jr., president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, one of the groups behind One D.

The group has promised solid benchmarks that will measure the group's success or failure.

Among those goals for Metro Detroit:

# Job growth would be in the top 25 percent of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in America.

# Per capita income growth would be in the top 25 percent of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in America.

# Increase the percentage of residents who are self-sufficient.

# By 2010 improve by 20 percent how the region is viewed nationally.

# Move into the top 10 of largest metropolitan areas in terms of the number of individuals with post-secondary education.

# By December 2008, have support for regional transit and the supporting legislation in all communities to establish a regional transportation authority.

The goals may seem lofty, but the group said it believes that focus and mobilization make the benchmarks achievable.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan President Michael J. Brennan noted that 8,000 people volunteered during Super Bowl XL last year to guide visitors along the streets of Detroit toward Ford Field. That total is the same as the number of third-graders in the region who can't read at grade level, he said.

"If you can get those same volunteers working with those children you can have change," Brennan said.

One D, spearheaded by Edsel Ford II, involves the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Cultural Alliance ofSoutheastern Michigan and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Leaders promised to issue annual report cards on progress in five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.

Despite the gripes area residents may have, the region has many assets, such as a low cost of living and top-notch health care, said Larry Alexander, president of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"There are things we have in our region that other places would love to have," he said.

And while Metro Detroit remains one of the most segregated areas of the United States, One D leaders touted the racial diversity as an asset.

"Young people don't want to live in a place where everyone looks like them," said Shirley Stancato, president of New Detroit.

Stancato said the area needs to attract and keep adults between the ages of 21 and 34. "Racial diversity is a key," she said.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Mackinac Policy Conference Coverage blog
By: Matt Roush, WWJ and the Great Lakes IT Report
Published: June 1, 2007

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Jennette Smith
Published: 3:54 pm, May 31, 2007

Bill Ford Jr. urged swift action on a variety of fronts during keynote remarks Thursday including national energy policy, a new business tax plan in Michigan and implementation of Road to Renaissance plans to transform the state economy.

Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. used his address at the Mackinac Policy Conference as an opportunity to offer his view on a variety of economic issues, including thoughts on what Michigan can do to capture opportunities even as the automotive industry is going through a wrenching restructuring.

“Our industry is restructuring, causing plant closings, layoffs, rising unemployment and a falling tax base,” he said. “At the same time, legitimate concerns about global warming, energy security and the cost of gasoline have created a rush toward arbitrary and poorly conceived solutions.

“Clearly, it’s up to automakers to address the challenges we face, and that’s what we are doing. But the issues confronting us are bigger than any one industry, and they impact everyone in Detroit and the state of Michigan. It doesn’t matter if the leak is in someone else’s boat; we are all going to sink or float together.”

On energy policy, Ford said that while it is good news that many people finally understand the urgency and the business case for environmental stewardship, “no one person, company or industry can solve these problems by themselves.

“The automobile industry is getting a lot of attention in regard to CO2 emissions and global warming. But the fact is cars and trucks contribute about 20 percent of CO2 emissions in the U.S. and 10 percent of the worldwide total. We need to do our part as an industry, but we are only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.”

Ford called for a national consortium of auto and energy companies, utilities, nongovernmental entities, government agencies, universities and others to develop a more integrated plan. Europe, for example, does not have a perfect plan but has a more integrated framework for action, including tax incentives and the beginnings of a carbon trading program, Ford said. And policies target consumer and industry behaviors, he added.

“We are not shirking our duty, or asking for handouts, just relief from uncertainty and from a fragmented patchwork of arbitrarily set standards,” Ford said.

On the Michigan Business Tax plan, Ford offered strong support.

“This plan promotes a more competitive tax structure for manufacturers in Michigan,” he said. “It broadens the base of business taxpayers by including out-of-state companies who sell their products and services in Michigan but don’t invest here. It also encourages the retention of research and development in Michigan through tax credits.”

Michigan needs to pounce on opportunities for its R&D industry to play a part in alternative-energy industry growth, Ford said. The Road to Renaissance Plan from Detroit Renaissance has the organization, resources and detailed planning and vision needed, Ford said.

“Frankly, too often in the past lofty goals were announced without the resources or careful planning to make them happen,” he said. “Road to Renaissance is different.”

Ford also credited his cousin Edsel Ford for leading the One D collaborative effort that incorporates Road to Renaissance planning.

“We can transform ourselves into a leading center of technical innovation and sustainable mobility, but only if we act swiftly and boldly,” Ford said. “Before our engineers and scientists move somewhere else to find better jobs, before our tax base is too small to support a first-rate education system, before our children and grandchildren leave our state in search of greater opportunity … ”

“If we don’t change ourselves, the world will do it for us.”

Ford said he’s convinced Michigan can make the case for creating the next generation of high-tech jobs. The intellect and university resources are here. When Silicon Valley start-ups in environmental technology talk about planning sales offices in Detroit, Ford’s reaction is, “Why settle for just having sales offices? Why not encourage the development of research and development centers here?”

During the question-and-answer portion of his remarks, Ford said another problem plaguing the automotive industry is perceptions abut quality. Even though American products have proven on par with Toyota, for example, there’s a perception problem with the average American.

“It’s going to require us to be bold and up-front,” Ford said.

On mass transit, Ford said Ford Motor Co. would like to be helpful in crafting a solution and believes mass transit and auto makers can co-exist.

“There’s room for both,” he said.

On upcoming United Auto Workers negotiations, Ford said health care costs are a big concern.

“I’m not suggesting national health care, but we need a change,” he said. “It’s a broken system.”

Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Ford’s comments were direct and specific, and applauded the mass transit support.

Richard E. Dauch, chairman and CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing, said Ford Motor Co. has the leadership, product plans and energy policy stance it needs to have. Dauch said he agreed the U.S. government needs a comprehensive energy policy overhaul.

“Bill Ford is very crucial to our industry,” he said. “We’re all rooting for him.”

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Jennette Smith
Published: May 31. 2007 12:48PM

New TV commercials and plans for the business-to-business application of the new brand for the region were rolled out at a Thursday morning session at the Mackinac Policy Conference.

The region’s new brand is both a project to boost tourism and part of the One D collaborative effort that includes among its goals improving perceptions about Detroit. It is a project being led by the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The 30-second ads launching in June, initially in Cleveland and Grand Rapids, depict men and women whose friends send video of the fun they are having in Detroit to their friend’s cell phone. In one spot, a man is suffering through dinner with his girlfriend’s parents. In another, a woman is on a nightmarish blind date.

The ads, created by bureau agency The Berline Group of Bloomfield Hills, are to run on Comedy Central and MTV. The TV spots are part of a larger media mix that is heavily weighted with exposure on the Web through various channels such as MySpace and Google.

“A campaign like this will be all over the Internet and will be talked about,” said Christopher Baum, bureau senior vice president of sales and marketing.

The campaign reaches out to potential visitors age 21-34 by promoting Detroit’s assets, namely cars, culture, gaming, music and sports. The graphic for the campaign lists the assets under a brushed metal “D.”

The campaign seeks early adopter individuals who like to try new things first and share experiences with others, said Eric La Brecque, principal of bureau consultant Applied Storytelling.

The bureau also is reinventing its Web site, visitdetroit.com, with features like YouTube videos, and conceptual maps of the region that make it easy to see entertainment districts.

The idea is to give a better understanding of the entire region at a glance and provide the opportunity to drill down further for information about specific destinations.

On the business-to-business side, the bureau is working with three organizations, the Detroit Tigers, Strategic Staffing Solutions and the Detroit Regional Chamber’s new young professions group, Fusion.

Each plans to promote the D “brand” in specific ways. For the Tigers, the D brand story will be in team publications. For Strategic Staffing, the brand is being used to sell the city to potential future employees.

“From a business standpoint we view this as a recruitment tool,” said Cindy Pasky, CEO of Strategic Staffing. By selling the city, the company can gain the 400 employees it needs, particularly IT specialists under age 30. In turn, the company continues to become more profitable and grow.

The bureau and its Tourism Economic Development Council are working with the three organizations to gain some specific success stories that will be used to recruit the next wave of participants, said Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the bureau.

Businesses that seek to learn more can participate in a Webinar on June 15 and a brand summit to be held at The Henry Ford in mid-October, the bureau said.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: May 31, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND -- All children in Metro Detroit will read at grade-level and a true regional transit system will be in place by 2015. Those are two specific goals the fledgling One D hopes to achieve.

For the first-time Thursday morning, the people driving One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, gave details of what they wanted to accomplish in their initiative to bolster southeastern Michigan.

"We don't want young people leaving and no one coming here," said Dick Blouse, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber, one of the groups behind One D.

The group has promised solid benchmarks that will measure the group's success or failure.

Among those goals for Metro Detroit:

*Job growth would be in the top 25 percent of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in America.

*Per capita growth would be in the top 25 percent of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in America.

*Increase the percentage of residents who are self-sufficient.

*By 2010 improve by 20 percent how the region is viewed nationally.

*Move into the top 10 ranking of largest metropolitan areas in terms of the number of individuals with post-secondary education.

*By Dec. 2008, have support for regional transit and the supporting legislation in all communities to establish a regional transportation authority.

The goals may seem lofty, but the group believes that focus and mobilization make the benchmarks achievable.

United Way of Southeastern Michigan president Michael J. Brennan noted that 8,000 people volunteered during Super Bowl XL last year to guide visitors along the streets of Detroit toward Ford Field. That total is the same as the number of 3rd graders in the region who can't read at grade level, he said.

"If you can get those same volunteers working with those children you can have change," Brennan said.

One D, spearheaded by Edsel Ford II, involves the Detroit Regional Chamber; Detroit Renaissance; New Detroit; the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Cultural Alliance for Southeastern Michigan, and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Leaders promised to issue annual report cards on progress in five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.

Despite the gripes area residents may have, the region has many assets, such as a low cost-of-living and top-notch health care, said Larry Alexander, president of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"There are things we have in our region that other places would love to have," he said.

And while metro Detroit remains one of the most segregated areas of the United States, One D leaders touted the racial diversity as an asset.

"Young people don't want to live in a place where everyone looks like them," said Shirley Stancato, president of New Detroit.

Stancato said the area needs to attract and keep adults between the ages of 21 and 34. "Racial diversity is a key," she said.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Crain's Detroit Business
By: Jennette Smith
Published: May 30, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND — An opening session for the Mackinac Policy Conference served as a rallying cry for the One D collaborative effort with participants urging more business and government leaders to join in.

In his opening remarks Wednesday, One D champion Edsel Ford II asked for audience members to make regionalism a way of life. Afterward, a panel of members from the participating groups in One D discussed progress and challenges.

“Parts working together in harmony is an apt description of the communities of the Detroit region, when we are at our very best,” Ford said. “The way we pulled together for last year’s Super Bowl is just one recent example. But that was an effort built around an occasion. For the communities of regional Detroit to shine their brightest, we need more than an occasional effort … we need to embrace regionalism. We need to make it a way of life.”

For One D, a group of six regional civic groups that are working together on five priorities for the region, to succeed, each organization needs to exhibit organizational selflessness, Ford said. The groups behind One D are the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance Inc. , New Detroit Inc., United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

The five priorities are economic prosperity, educational preparedness, regional transit, race relations and quality of life, with regional collaboration as an umbrella over all.

Maud Lyon, founding director of the Cultural Alliance, said “One D is about eliminating duplication of efforts.”

And, by laying regionalism over the top with Ford as “the guru of regional collaboration,” said Richard Blouse, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the interrelated priorities can move along faster.

Doug Rothwell, president of Detroit Renaissance, said the five priorities are at different stages of evolution and some will require more change. And Michael Brennan, president and CEO of the United Way, compared the region’s movement to a One D framework to a technology upgrade.

“We’ve operated for a long time on DOS,” he said. “We’re trying to move to Windows.”

Ford, when interviewed after the panel discussion, said One D next needs to get more corporate leaders, nonprofit leaders and elected officials behind the effort. County executives, for example, would be a great addition. Ideally, Ford said, even after progress is made on priorities, the One D work plan can be updated and continue instead of disbanding.

“The theory is: This is a process,” he said.

For now, until more specifics about business support are announced, including two additional sessions planned at the conference, supporters can speak positively about the region and find ways to collaborate more often, panelists said.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Detroit Free Press
Published: May 30, 2007

Mackinac Island lives in the past. The Detroit area cannot afford to any longer.

So the historic island between Michigan's peninsulas seems all the odder a setting this year for the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual policy conference. But maybe, as they share horse-drawn taxis and watch fudge being made by hand, the 1,700 attendees from business, politics, education and labor can find a shared path to the future.

While the Mackinac meeting is not known for accomplishing much, the gathering that begins today will focus on something that started on Mackinac a year ago. One D: Transforming Regional Detroit is a unified effort of the chamber, New Detroit, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Renaissance, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan to assure that the area works together to achieve measurable goals in six key areas. Those are: economic prosperity, educational preparedness, regional transit, race relations, regional cooperation and quality of life.

The effort is unprecedented, but then just about every region-wide undertaking in recent history has been, too, with little to show for it. Hence the emphasis of One D on measurable goals. All conference participants ought to be leaving Mackinac with a clear idea of what One D is all about and a job to do in one of the six areas.

United Way has been conducting a series of e-mail surveys on those issues and, while not drawing a scientific sample, did ask about 1,000 people about their satisfaction with the quality of life in southeast Michigan. Not surprisingly, nearly 80% said they were unhappy with public transportation and more than 60% did not like the way suburban growth and development have been managed. Both are regional issues, best tackled on a region-wide basis, and both are historically divisive.

And if going up to Mackinac Island is what it takes to lay that history to rest and start planning a better future, this conference could be well worth the trip.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Source: Mackinac Policy Conference Coverage blog

By: WWJ and the Great Lakes IT Report
Published: May 30, 2007

One D isn't yet another redevelopment initiative for metro Detroit.

Instead, it's literally a state of mind, according to the opening panel at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference Wednesday on Mackinac Island.

The high-powered group of six regional organizations, which has been working together nearly a year, pledged to make regional collaboration in all things their top priority going forward. "It is about a movement," said Shirley Stancato, president and CEO of New Detroit Inc.

And, said Mike Brennan, president and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan: "We want a public, transparent, accessible scorecard" for One D's goals.

The five goals the group espoused Wednesday, and their benchmarks, were:

• Economic prosperity, a region defined by an emphasis on attracting and retaining talent and an entrepreneurial culture. Goals include entrepreneurship rankings, business attraction, job growth and per capita income growth in the top quarter of the United States' 50 largest metro areas, and a net in-migration of advanged degree holders.
• Educational preparedness, with educational programs that align with current and future work force needs. Goals include all children reading at grade level, regional high school graduation rates in the top half of large metro areas, and moving into the top half of metro areas of people having advanced degrees.
• Quality of life, abundant recreation, arts, culture and health care. Goals include boosting the percentage of the population with incomes 200 percent above the poverty level by 10 percetn by 2020, increased greenways and shared public spaces, sustainable arts and social service organizations, and a 25 percent improvement in the region's self-image.
• Race relations, becoming a region of racial diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity. Goals include a "significant" reduction in racial disparities in key measures of prosperity and quality of life, implementation of "structured opportunities" to break down sterotypes, and increasing positive media coverage of the region's diversity.
• Regional transit, with coordinated, safe and cost-effective transit systems. Goals include a regional transit authority, and implementation of a totally integrated regional transit system, with particular attention to tourism destination areas.

Regional leaders pledged their support for the initiatives.

"The most important thing about One D is that it is not about coming up with another plan," said Edsel Ford II, a One D champion and Ford Motor Co. board member. "Instead, it is about taking the best plans that already exist and giving them the opportunity to work, regionally."

And all One D champions said they'd promote an ethic of putting the regional interest ahead of the interests of their organizations or local communities.

"We are aligned in a common vision," said Maud Lyon, founding director of the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan. "We want to eliminate duplication of effort."

Labels: InTheNews, One D

Source: The Detroit News
By: David Josar
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2007

MACKINAC ISLAND -- Promising that One D, a consortium of six powerful Metro Detroit civic organizations, would succeed in improving the region, Edsel B. Ford II vowed there would be public report cards of progress and that the goals would be steered by already-completed surveys of roughly 10,000 area residents.

"We need to make cooperation an on-going way of life," said Ford, the point person for One D, whose members include the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan, The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit and the United Way of Southeastern Michigan.

The surveys, administered by the individual groups, found five areas residents agreed are important: economic prosperity, educational preparation, quality of life, race relations and regional transit.

"This vision is not by us, but it's by the community," said Maud Lyon, counsel for the Cultural Alliance. "It's about elimination of duplication -- when we go to Washington, it's together."

One D will be a major focus of this year's Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference, with sessions daily on what the group can do to execute its goals.

Being willing to share the group's successes and failures with the region is one way to ensure progress is made, Ford said.

Ford said the group's members looked at how regions in Charlotte, Denver, Philadelphia and Houston worked together successfully.

"If they can do it, the region that put the world on wheels surely can do it," he said.

Roughly 1,700 business, union, civic and political leaders kicked off the annual Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference with organizers noting this is the first time since the 1980s that organized labor will have a significant role in the next few days of brainstorming.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger will address the group tomorrow morning and Teamsters President James Hoffa is Wednesday night's featured speaker.

"This hasn't happened in 20 years," said Richard Blouse, Jr., president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, and then only one representative of organized labor was on the agenda.

Blouse also said that health care reform will be another important topic as well as One D, a new collaborative effort aimed at improving the Detroit region.

"The private sector will be the catalyst" for transforming Metro Detroit," Blouse said. "I believe One D will be the vehicle."

In addition, Blouse said the conference will continue the practice begun next year when committees will be established to ensure that ideas crafted on the island are put into motion.

The conference will address the economic and quality of life issues that are most important to southeast Michigan.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or djosar@detnews.com.

Labels: InTheNews, One D

Source: Detroit Free Press
By: Tom Walsh, Free Press Columnist
Published: May 27, 2007

Auto exec fears Michigan lags in industry's future

The recent explosion of interest and investment in alternative fuels and other so-called "clean technologies" feels a bit like vindication to Bill Ford.

"When I talked about this stuff in speeches 10 years ago, people thought I was some sort of Bolshevik," the executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. told the Free Press in a rare interview last week.

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Vindication aside, Ford is worried that southeastern Michigan is lagging behind other regions in developing new technologies that will revolutionize the global automotive industry in years to come.

He plans to call for an intensive effort to identify and recruit cutting-edge technology firms to metro Detroit -- even tapping high-powered business leaders to get personally involved -- in a speech Thursday to the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual policy conference on Mackinac Island.

"I've spent a lot of time recently in Silicon Valley, visiting companies and venture capitalists," Ford said, noting that all major California-based technology firms have Detroit offices because the auto industry is a big customer for them.

"But they shouldn't just have sales offices here. Why can't we be the incubators of ideas here? We need to be the intellectual locus of the technology that's going to transform our industry," Ford said.

Ford, 50, has kept a low profile since September, when he hired Alan Mulally as president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor. Ford, CEO for the previous five years, took the new title of executive chairman at the Dearborn automaker. He has done few interviews since then and limited his speeches to Ford employee and dealer groups.

But behind the scenes, he has taken a more active role in Detroit Renaissance, starting a two-year term in January as chairman of the influential CEO group's executive committee, just as it was launching Road to Renaissance, a new economic development strategy for the region.

Goals are to boost entrepreneurship, attract and retain top talent, and enhance Detroit's status as a global hub for automotive and other transportation industries.

"There's no question that, in the next 10 or 20 years, we're going to have very different propulsion systems for vehicles. And there's no reason why Detroit and southeast Michigan shouldn't be where the action is," Ford said.

Problem is, Detroit and Michigan are increasingly NOT where the cutting-edge automotive technology action is.

Not only have hometown car companies Ford, General Motors and the Chrysler Group been downsizing, but the national surge in clean-technology investment is mostly happening elsewhere.

Clean tech is the fastest-growing segment of venture capital. But of $2.9 billion in clean-tech investment in North America last year, only 9% was in the Midwest, said James Croce, CEO of Detroit-based NextEnergy, a nonprofit formed five years ago to accelerate Michigan's activities in alternate energy. Nearly 60% went to the West Coast or to New England, he said, citing data from the Clean Tech Venture Network in Brighton.

Just a few years ago, some pundits were scoffing at the notion of a self-professed environmentalist -- Ford -- running an auto company.

"Now all the automakers are out to prove who's greenest," Ford said.

But Michigan must do more outreach, he said, to attract more of the innovative companies in that field.

Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Detroit Renaissance, said Ford has been "very intimately engaged in each step of the Road to Renaissance action plan."

Ford returned the compliment, saying he agreed to chair the Renaissance executive committee only because Rothwell and Domino's Pizza CEO David Brandon convinced him that the group was committed to action and measuring progress. "The last thing I needed was another committee studying the problems of the last 20 years," Ford said.

The Road to Renaissance plan dovetails with One D, a broader regional collaboration of groups ranging from United Way to the Detroit Regional Chamber and New Detroit, championed by Ford's cousin Edsel Ford II. Edsel Ford will kick off a series of One D planning sessions at the Mackinac gathering this week.

Other scheduled speakers at Mackinac include Teamsters union President James P. Hoffa on Wednesday and UAW President Ron Gettelfinger on Thursday.

Bill Ford, meanwhile, expects to become a bit more visible in the coming months.

Immediately after Mulally's arrival, "I thought, early on, that I didn't want any confusion, externally or internally," Ford said. "I certainly didn't want anyone internally going around Alan and coming to me."

Ford still consults regularly with Mulally on the car company's turnaround progress.

"You'll start seeing more of me as we roll into the rest of this year," he said.

Contact TOM WALSH at 313-223-4430 or twalsh@freepress.com.

Labels: InTheNews, One D, regionalism

Respondents to our March 2007 Quality of Life survey told us in no uncertain terms that they were dissatisfied with public transportation. 85 percent of respondents stated that they were somewhat or very dissatisfied with public transportation in the region, while a somewhat smaller 75 percent were dissatisfied with public transportation in their own communities.

When asked "Which THREE of these items do you think should receive the most emphasis from community leaders over the next THREE Years?" public transportation was identified as one of the three by 81 percent of respondents, with 38 percent listing it as Number 1.

With gas prices inching toward $4 a gallon, and orange barrels wherever you look, metro Detroiters may begin seeking alternate ways to get around town. Whether that’s by carpooling or riding the bus, public transit options can save both money and energy. In fact, recent statistics show that both SMART and DDOT are experiencing ridership growth.

Local organizations are seeing the trend and investigating ways to bring more mass transit options to southeast Michigan. The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), SEMCOG and others are in the midst of completing a Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study that will complement SEMCOG’s Ann Arbor to Detroit study. Other local groups, such as Transportation Riders United (TRU) and Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES) are advocating for increased transportation options.

United Way, Metromode and our OneD partners are interested in gauging current opinion and use of the region’s transit options. The results will form a baseline and help inform the public’s current use of transportation as well as its hope for future transportation options.

Please take a moment and fill out the survey by clicking on the link below:


Your answers will be confidential and no individual responses will be released to anyone.

Labels: InTheNews, One D

Ed.'s Note: What follows are some of the results from the second in a series of metromode surveys that will help create a blueprint for changing the region. The next survey will appear May 17th in the Regional Activation Zone — metromode's place to get inspired, informed and connected to the community, found in the lower left corner of the metromode home page. To read more about the zone, click here.

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In November 2006, six of the region's top civic organizations - New Detroit, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan - joined forces to form a unified group called One D: Transforming Regional Detroit to ensure the region works together to achieve measurable goals in six areas of priority:

1. economic prosperity
2. educational preparedness
3. regional transit
4. race relations
5. regional cooperation
6. quality of life

While each of these organizations works to meet specific objectives of its own, all recognize that they have a collective responsibility to the region as well. Input and data gained from the community, government officials and other organizations outside of One D are extremely important factors in the success of this unprecedented transformation effort, and will be used by One D to build a one-vision, one-plan blueprint for transforming Southeast Michigan. The final blueprint is expected to be unveiled at the 2007 Mackinac Policy Conference.

As part of this data gathering effort, Issue Media Group (the publishers of Model D and metromode) and United Way for Southeastern Michigan have partnered to regularly survey the Detroit region, on behalf of the One D partnership and each of its member organizations, regarding key quality of life and economic issues in order to get a better handle on " the pulse of southeast Michigan."

We want to serve up surveys that will better help us, and others, understand what our residents are thinking. We want to open this capacity to other organizations that are working to make the Detroit region a better place to live and work. We are at an important crossroads for this region and we want to be able to measure our progress through the opinions of its residents. We hope you will want to join us on this journey.

We will be delivering a new survey each month. Upon review and analysis, we will select the most pertinent questions and repeat them at regular intervals over the next several years. In this way we will be able to track perceptual change over time and match that to the demographic and economic indicators that will comprise the One D Report Card.

Our first survey appeared in the March 1st issue of metromode and was designed to obtain feedback on "quality of life" issues in Southeast Michigan. This report provides the results of that survey.

On March 22 we launched a survey designed to obtain feedback related to the new "branding" effort from the Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. Late in April we hope to look at Race Relations in Metro Detroit. Future surveys will delve into Art and Culture, Transportation, Education, Economic Opportunities and more. We welcome suggestions from organizations and individuals regarding other issues of importance and hope that you will join us as we take the "Pulse of Metro Detroit."

Quality of Life in Metropolitan Detroit

Our first survey addressed a number of Quality of Life issues in Metro Detroit. Over 1,000 persons took the time to complete the survey during the three weeks it was available. This report provides a summary of the responses received, and ends with a brief overview of respondent demographics.

The first question asked the following:

Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very satisfied" and 1 means "very dissatisfied," please rate your satisfaction with each of the following in the Southeast Michigan region – and in Your Community:

• Quality of public safety services (i.e., police, fire, ambulance)
• Flow of traffic
• Access to arts and cultural activities
• Public transportation (bus/rail)
• Transportation services for the elderly and disabled persons
• Access to financial services
• Social services for families that need them
• Availability of quality food (fresh fruits and vegetables)

The following only address the Southeast Michigan region

-Redevelopment/revitalization of urban core communities in the region
-Management of suburban growth and development in the region

Figure 1. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Satisfied" for the Region

Figure 2. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Dissatisfied" for the Region

Figures 1 and 2 paint a very clear picture of the issues that Detroit area respondents feel are strongly present and those that they feel are lacking in the region as a whole. Over half of respondents indicated satisfaction with the access to arts and cultural activities, access to financial services, and the availability of quality food. The only other category to rise above 40percent in satisfaction was the " quality of public services." On the dissatisfaction side of the aisle, nearly four of every five respondents stated that they were dissatisfied with the availability of public transportation. This was followed by recognition of the lack of coordinated efforts tomanage suburban growth while working to redevelop and revitalize our urban core communities. Two other transportation-related issues also exceeded a 40 percent level of dissatisfaction –" transportation services for elderly and disabled' and general " traffic flow."

We also asked respondents to rank the majority of these issues from the perspective of their own communities. Suburban growth and urban revitalization were only asked in a regional context.

Figure 3. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Satisfied" for Their Community

Figure 4. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Dissatisfied" for Their Community

The results provided some interesting counterpoints to the regional opinions – a result similar to that found when respondents look at politics on the national and local level. In general, respondents show greater satisfaction, and less dissatisfaction, at the smaller geographic level. Services – both public (government) and private (food and finances) received high satisfaction ratings. The high preponderance of arts and culture in Detroit tended to lower the satisfaction score for this issue. Transportation, however, remained the principal issue of concern – garnering dissatisfaction responses from over 70 percent of the respondents.

Due to concerns about public safety and the lack of services – particularly grocery stores – in Detroit, we took a separate look at how Detroit residents answered this question. Only 42 percent were satisfied with the availability of quality food, while 34 percent expressed satisfaction with the quality of public safety services. On the negative side, Detroiters agreed that public transportation leaves a great deal to be desired – 71 percent were dissatisfied, with 47percent of responses being " very dissatisfied."

We next asked respondents to consider the issues in Question 1 and tell us:

Which THREE of these items do you think should receive the most emphasis from community leaders over the next THREE Years?

The results are shown in Figure 5. Consistent with the views expressed in Question 1,respondents overwhelmingly listed Public Transportation as the issue that should receive emphasis from community leaders. Thirty-eight percent of respondents listed this as a "first priority," while 81 percent of all respondents listed it as one of their three top issues. Coming in second was the need to invest in the redevelopment/revitalization of Detroit and our other older, urban core communities. An assessment of the quality of public safety services, and improvements where necessary, came in a close third, followed by the issue of managing suburban growth and development.

The importance of these responses is that they point to issues that we must look at on a regional basis. We cannot continue to expect individual leaders to solve the problems. Rather, we must work across historical geographic and racial lines to get the job done. Respondents are tired of the "rhetoric" and want to see "action."

Figure 5. Percent of Total Responses – Three Items for Community Leader Emphasis

Our next question asked the following:

Several items that may influence your perception of living in the Southeast Michigan region are listed below. Please rate each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very satisfied" and 1 means "very unsatisfied."

• Quality of public schools
• Quality of post-secondary education (colleges, universities, vocational)
• Quality of governmental services
• Availability of quality jobs
• Availability of affordable housing
• Racial and ethnic harmony
• Availability of arts and cultural amenities
• How much the region values education and retains talent

Figure 6 provides a summary of the two ends of the spectrum – 5 (very satisfied) and 1 (very dissatisfied).While dissatisfaction ruled the day for most of the factors listed, respondents did show a great deal of satisfaction with the "quality of the region's post-secondary education" and the " availability of arts and cultural amenities." 72 percent of respondents were satisfied (very or somewhat) with our post-secondary educational opportunities, while 58% were satisfied with the region's arts and cultural opportunities.

On the other end of the spectrum, only 7 percent of respondents were satisfied with the "availability of quality jobs" (77% were dissatisfied), and only 10 percent were satisfied with "how the region values education and retains talent" (69% were dissatisfied).

Figure 6. Percent of Total Responses – Three Items for Community Leader Emphasis

We followed up the ranking question with the following:

Which THREE of these reasons will have the most impact on your decision to stay in the Southeast Michigan Region for the next 10 years?

An analysis of the results (Figure 7) spells trouble for our region. The availability of quality jobs far outdistanced any other response with 84 percent of all respondents listing it in their top 3 – and 48 percent listing it as number 1. The quality of public schools came in distant second at 48 percent, with regional values of education and talent retention placing third at 38 percent. All three of these issues ranked very low in their "satisfaction ratings."

Figure 7. Percent of Respondents Who Listed Item as Impacting Decision to Stay in SE Michigan

We also found that a number of respondents (almost 9 percent) wanted to provided other issues that were of importance to them. While they covered a wide range of issues, the primary categories were family, crime, cost-of-living, taxes and transportation.
The next question asked respondents to do the following:

Please rate the Southeast Michigan region on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 means "excellent" and 1 means "poor" with regard to each of the following:

• The region as a place to raise children
• The region as a place to live
• The region as a place to work
• The overall image of the region
• The overall quality of life in the region
• How well the region is planning for the future
• How well the region works together

Figure 8. Percent Distribution of Responses Rating SE Michigan Region by Category

While respondents were stingy on giving an excellent rating to any of our quality of life categories, the region was rated positively by at least 40 percent of respondents as "a place to live" and as "a place to raise children." Almost 35 percent of respondents rated the overall quality of life positively. On the negative side, almost 80 percent of respondents rated the region as below average or poor in the area of "how well the region works together." "Planning for the future" and "the overall image" also came out on the negative end for almost 70 percent of respondents.

While the image is being worked on by a number of organizations, with the Detroit MetroConvention and Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) taking the lead in changing our brand, the lowratings for regional collaboration and planning should sound a clarion call to all " regional leaders." The ability to attract and retain young, educated residents and thereby build a knowledge-based economy that is attractive to a wide range of individuals and companies requires that we begin to work together as a region and develop regional plans for land use, transportation – public/mass and highways, housing, cultural amenities, and much more.

Our final question asked the following:

On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very safe" and 1 means "very unsafe," please rate how safe you feel in the following situations:

• In your neighborhood during the day
• In your neighborhood at night
• Overall in the community where you live
• Overall in the city of Detroit
• Overall in the Southeast Michigan region

Figure 9. Percent Distribution of Responses on Feelings of Safety by Location

Southeast Michigan residents generally feel safe in their neighborhoods, communities, and throughout Southeast Michigan. The only area where safety was an issue was in the City of Detroit. Nearly three in five (57 percent) respondents expressed feeling "unsafe" or "very unsafe" in the City of Detroit. An analysis by geography shows that Detroit residents feel somewhat safer in their city than nonresidents – 21% vs. 15%. Nevertheless, 50 percent of Detroit residents reported feeling "unsafe" or "very unsafe," as compared to 60 percent of nonresidents.

It is obvious from these results that the image of Detroit must be changed by addressing the issue of crime and safety. A previous study of Crime in Downtown Detroit by this author showed that the core of the city was safer than many communities in Southeast Michigan, as well as other downtowns in cities across the country.

Mayor Kilpatrick made crime a major topic of his 2007 State of the City address. He stated:

"The crime issue in the city of Detroit has consistently and constantly undermined any notion of recovery and revitalization or renaissance in this city for more than 40 years. No matter what we do – host the Super Bowl … host the All-Star Game … lead the region in new housing … sell million dollar condos downtown … build more housing than ever … open three new neighborhood recreation centers … fix streets … fix parks … host the Grand Prix on Belle Isle –the crime issue constantly undermines any notion of recovery all the time.

But the new officers and new tactics by themselves are not the only answer to our crime problem. One mistake we make in our community when we discuss crime is to immediately discuss police and police only. We must look at the nature of the crime we experience and develop strategies out of what we learn. And we must have a very candid conversation within this community about what we are doing to ourselves.

My Beloved Community, I truly understand the history of African American people in this country. But we have come to a point in our community where this is no conspiracy by Outsiders doing this to us. This is us killing us. This is mostly African Americans killing African Americans. This is some family member of mine or yours killing some family member of yours or mine. And we, as a community, have to stop it now. Nobody's coming to save us. We have to stand up for ourselves and stand up now."

While this is certainly an issue that Detroiters must be ready and willing to tackle, it must be understood that the Southeast Michigan Region can be healthy and safe unless all its components– with Detroit being the largest component of all – are healthy and safe. This is an issue that we all must be willing to tackle.

We ended the survey with the following open-ended question:

Based on the questions above, in a couple sentences, what is your opinion on the overall quality of life in your community and in the region?

Almost 900 respondents took the time to give us their thoughts. I do not plan to lengthen this report with an accounting of all the responses (they are available upon request). Needless to say, the comments covered the broad spectrum of issues and ranged from very negative to very positive. I think that the response that sums things up the best is the following (which was provided in all caps as shown):

"DESPITE THE REGION'S SHAKY IMAGE, I HAVE NO DESIRE TO LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE."

Demographic Summary

The survey was conducted strictly via the web. A number of outlets were used, in addition to MetroMode and ModelD, to get the word out as to its availability. No incentives were provided to respondents. A relatively detailed set of demographics was collected from our respondents. This section only reports the results of several of the questions.

1. What is your current county of residence (identified through question on ZIP Code)?

• Macomb County 05%
• Oakland County 30%
• Wayne County 60%
• City of Detroit 32%
• Out-Wayne County 28%
• Elsewhere 05%

A quick review of the table shows that Macomb County is extremely underrepresented, when compared with other counties in the region. While several reasons for this may be put forth, there is no way to substantiate any of them. Suffice it to say, efforts to increase Macomb responses will be undertaken for future surveys.

2. Do you expect to be living in Southeast Michigan – 1 year from now; 5 years from now?

These results are quite positive in that almost 80 percent of respondents say that they will be in Southeast Michigan over the next year, while only 8 percent are sure that they will not. While the " stayers" drop to 43 percent when the length of time is extended to 5 years, the drop is more a factor of uncertainty (35%) rather than an intention to leave (22%). It may be assumed that a regional thrust toward cooperation and planning, coupled with increased attention to issues of public safety and a changing economic climate, will change these " Don't Knows," as well as some of the " Nos," to " Yeses."

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Kurt Metzger is a demographer and research director for United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

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One D: Transforming Regional Detroit consists of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, New Detroit, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

Labels: One D, regionalism, Research