2017
UM-FLINT’S EDA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The UM-Flint EDA University Center for Community and Economic Development was established in 2016 to coordinate, inform, and contribute to economic development efforts throughout the 7-county I-69 Thumb Region (Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Shiawassee, and Tuscola counties). The Center focuses on cultivating innovation and advancing high-growth entrepreneurship to build and sustain a diversified economy.
The EDA University Center receives direction and guidance from: • Stakeholders who rely on its services and research
• A Regional Advisory Board, consisting of a representative cross-section of the I-69 Thumb Region counties.
FOCUS AREAS: Economic Development
• Annual 7-county business climate survey • Economic research to support the work of economic development partners • I-69 Thumb Region Economic Development Asset Mapping Platform • Regional economic data dashboard
Community Development
• Dedicated fund to support faculty/student teams in applied research projects • Community meetings and focus groups • Dissemination of information to help strengthen local communities • Technical assistance for nonprofits
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Interactive website to connect entrepreneurs and existing business owners with service providers and funding opportunities • Business counseling, workshops, mentoring, bootcamps through UM-Flint’s Innovation Incubator [IN] • Alignment of regional trends and strategies
PROVOST’S APPLIED RESEARCH FUND The Provost’s Applied Research Fund at the University of Michigan-Flint EDA University Center for Community and Economic Development was launched in the spring of 2017 to support faculty research in the 7-county I-69 Thumb Region. The fund was able to support four faculty-student research projects covering topics on workforce development, entrepreneurship, healthcare, and economic development. The work of the six faculty members representing five academic departments, and eleven graduate and undergraduate students from eight academic majors, was innovative and interdisciplinary. Each project showcases the talent of our faculty and students and their engaged commitment to local partners and dedication to improving the region. We are grateful for your support and pleased to share the results with you. Full project reports are available upon request from the UM-Flint EDA University Center for Community and Economic Development.
Dr. Douglas Knerr, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of History at UM-Flint
For more information on applied research funding and UM-Flint’s EDA University Center for Community & Economic Development, please contact Paula Nas at pnas@umflint.edu or visit our website at umflint.edu/edacenter
A NEW MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT Faculty
Todd Womack, Lecturer, Department of Social Work, School of Education and Human Services
Student
Loretta Walker, Nursing major, School of Nursing
Partner
Pastor Robert McCathern, Joy Tabernacle Church and Urban Renaissance Center
Project
Social Work lecturer, Todd Womack, collaborated with Art lecturer and architect, Kurt Neiswender, around the approach of “community strengthening” and an asset-based approach to community revitalization, community engagement, and sustainable employment. The project centered on the concept of a Pop-Up Shop, constructed by graduates of the Rebounding Force Work Readiness Program, a life and employment skills training program run by the Urban Renaissance Center (URC). The community partner, Urban Renaissance Center is housed at Joy Tabernacle Church in Flint, Michigan, in one of the first planned neighborhoods in the country. The mission of URC is “To restore, rebuild and revitalize Flint’s Civic Park community and surrounding neighborhoods, through providing sustainable initiatives and collaborative ventures that empower individuals, strengthen families and bring renaissance to urban environments.” (Urban Renaissance Center, 2017) Todd Womack’s work identified a solution to providing sustainable employment in a legacy city and supporting local entrepreneurship.
POP UP SHOP 2017 Faculty
Kurt Neiswender, Lecturer, Department of Art & Art History, College of Arts and Sciences
Students
Janice McCoy, Visual Arts Education and General Studio Art majors, School of Education and Human Services and College of Arts and Sciences Natalie Roland, Operations and Supply Chain Management major, School of Management
Partners
Pastor Robert McCathern, Joy Tabernacle Church and Urban Renaissance Center Carl Ostentoski, Huron County Economic Development Corporation
Project
UM-Flint Art lecturer and architect Kurt Neiswender explored the feasibility of pop-up (temporary) retail spaces built out of shipping containers for placement in Flint’s Civic Park neighborhood and at a vacant brownfield location in the rural town of Sebewaing, located in Huron County 58 miles from Flint on the shore of Lake Huron. The collaborative project identified a scalable labor force, through the Urban Renaissance Center’s Rebounding Force Work Readiness Program, and the potential to scale across the 7-county I-69 Thumb Region, state, nation, and globally. A fundraising campaign was designed with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation crowdfunding platform, Patronicity, which provides a 1:1 match for all dollars raised. The team anticipates the first Pop-Up Shop launching in 2018, providing training and construction jobs for local residents. This initiative has high potential for economic development that integrates Placemaking, ingenuity, and grassroots community participation and promotes future entrepreneurship ventures.
DEVELOPING A PARKINSON’S DISEASE CARE AND RESEARCH NETWORK Faculty
Nathaniel Miller, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Students
Kathleen Berta, Applied Psychology major, College of Arts and Sciences Holly Tipp, Doctoral Student of Physical Therapy, School of Physical Therapy Chadd Measel, Applied Psychology major, College of Arts and Sciences Ashley Carignan, Doctoral Student, School of Physical Therapy Abdul Almounajed, Molecular Biology/ Biotechnology and Research Psychology majors, College of Arts and Sciences Marissa Zudell, Research Psychology major, College of Arts and Sciences
Partner
Amy Yorke, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions and Studies
Project
Dr. Miller focused his efforts on creating a Parkinson’s disease care and research network for the 7-county I-69 Thumb Region. He deployed a multi-disciplinary team of students to document and share Parkinson’s disease (PD) resources in the region by developing relationships with medical providers and interacting with those affected by Parkinson’s disease. The project resulted in the creation of an interactive map demonstrating the need for additional PD resources in the area. The research also solidified the need for creating a PD Care and Research Network by connecting researchers and collaborating on an event, “UM-Flint PD Moves,” that allowed members of the PD community to experience some of the resources that are available to them and meet care-providers and researchers in the region. This work is of economic importance as the region’s population grows older and the prevalence of PD diagnoses increases. The project has also led to potential collaborations with other faculty researchers.
SMART ZONE FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS Faculty
Marty Kaufman, Professor, Department of Geography Planning and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences Troy Rosencrants, Lecturer, Department of Geography Planning and Environment, College of Arts and Sciences
Students
Kristen Ball, Environmental Science and Planning major, College of Arts and Sciences Mike Keller, Environmental Science and Sustainability major, College of Arts and Sciences
Project
Dr. Kaufman explored the possibility for SmartZone satellites within the 7-county I-69 Thumb Region. Dr. Kaufman’s team used Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify economic opportunities based on US Census data, NAICS codes and infrastructure assets. The project team envisioned regional economic development as a function of four factors: available land; available labor; connectivity of related firms; and need. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) approach, multiple data layers were combined to create a SmartZone feasibility model. The model used six data layers (variables) that explained the most variance in a multiple regression model. All model parameters were significant at the 0.5 level, with existing business density and available buildings exhibiting the highest coefficients. The variables were: all businesses, available buildings, available vacant land, travel time less than 30 minutes, commercial traffic density, and transport/warehouse businesses. These layers were overlaid on each other and the result was the identification of two areas where SmartZone satellites were the most feasible, Flint and Port Huron. Their potential is underscored by their proximity to transportation, educated labor force, dense population, and available building space.
HURON
TUSCOLA
SANILAC
LAPEER ST. CLAIR
GENESEE SHIAWASSEE
Legend City
432 N. Saginaw St., Suite 202 Flint, Michigan 48502 (810) 424-5486 umflint.edu/EDAcenter
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Village County