Ann Arbor, meet Detroit.
Yes, the University of Michigan has had a physical presence in Detroit for several years at its Detroit Center, but its Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute is preparing to take on a multi-year Integrated Assessment (IA) of the city.
Translation: Teams of researchers engaging with policy-makers, community groups, and other educational institutions.
John Callewaert, the IA program director for the Graham Institute, explains that the process is designed to handle "wicked problems", particularly challenging issues -- such as climate change -- that "are things we might not necessarily 'solve,' " he explains. "But we can make some good progress, come up with some policy options, an action plan to move forward."
So the three-year-old Graham Institute is taking on sustainability in Detroit in that spirit. Callewaert says the city was a natural fit for in-depth research and policy recommendations precisely because there are "a lot of people working in Detroit...now seemed like a really good time." The Detroit IA will work to build on previous efforts such as last year's
SDAT.
Some of the issues to be considered will be right-sizing, open space usage, transportation, and green energy generation. Callewaert estimates that six teams will be funded, meaning that at least a dozen faculty will be spending time in the D. Ann Arbor will remain the home campus, but he anticipates the Detroit Center being used for IA meetings and larger events.
The IA endeavor kicks off on Monday, Dec. 14 with two brain-storming sessions (one at 3:30 p.m., the second at 6:30 p.m. Register
here by Dec. 10.) to be held at the aforementioned Detroit Center at 3663 Woodward Ave. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Source: John Callewaert, UM Graham InstituteWriter: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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