Michigan Urban Policy

Hudson Institute

To support the research and design of a new urban strategy for Michigan.

As federal policy is shifting more responsibilities to the states for urban programs and initiatives, Michigan has shown interest in addressing the problems of distressed urban communities at the state level. The state Senate has considered several pieces of legislation as components of an "Urban Growth Strategy," including an urban homesteading act, an urban property ownership act, Renaissance Zones to promote economic development in depressed areas, and proposals concerning education and crime. Funding will support the creation of a coherent urban policy based on programs that have shown promising results in various parts of the country. The underlying principle will be to give individuals a stake in their communities, encouraging them to live and work there. Working with state officials, the institute will focus on problems and solutions for a state urban strategy that include vacant land -- removing the impediments to redevelopment by improving the legal process to expedite the return of vacant government land to private ownership; abandoned housing -- promoting the transfer of abandoned housing to new owners, providing poorer families the opportunity for home ownership; and public housing -- improving housing projects by facilitating resident ownership and management of public housing projects. The Hudson Institute, founded in 1961, is a private, nonprofit research organization that analyzes and makes recommendations about public policy.

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