Big things are coming to the city of Detroit in the next few years. Proposed changes to the city’s infrastructure will take advantage of Detroit’s key location along an international waterway, and establish Detroit as a bustling center of international trade for generations to come.
On June 8, 2011, Urban Land Institute Detroit will host the fourth annual Infrastructure 2011: Game Changers in Infrastructure Bring International Trade. The event will examine the state of infrastructure in Detroit, and focus on five upcoming projects within the city and surrounding areas. Joining us for this event will be Detroit’s own “game changers”; the five individuals intimately familiar with the benefits of these projects.
ULI Detroit is pleased to announce the keynote speaker for this event: Rachel MacCleery, Managing Director of the ULI Infrastructure Initiative. MacCleery will be presenting Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority, the fifth annual national report on the state of infrastructure in the United States and throughout the world, produced by ULI in collaboration with Ernst & Young.
Infrastructure 2011: Game Changers in Infrastructure Bring International Trade will take place on Wednesday, June 8, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at The Renaissance Conference Center: 300 Renaissance Center, L-2, Detroit, MI 48243
To register in advance, please visit www.detroit.uli.org. On-site registration will be available the day of the event.
Speakers and Panelists:
Rachel MacCleery – Urban Land Institute
Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority highlights the importance of infrastructure in metropolitan areas. The report reviews infrastructure and transportation efforts in U.S. cities, and demonstrates that even in these tough economic times, it is possible for organizations; both private and public, to move forward with infrastructure enhancement projects.
Matt Cullen – M1 Rail
Matt Cullen, Chief Operating Officer of Rock Ventures, LLC and Chief Executive Officer of M1 Rail, will be presenting the current plan for the M1 Rail, a light rail transit system proposed for Detroit, which will span Woodward Avenue from West Jefferson Avenue to Eight Mile Road.
Bryce Kelley – Aerotropolis
Aerotropolis is an ambitious project aimed at converting the area surrounding Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, and Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township into an “airport city”. The two airports are located only seven miles apart, with a large amount of developable the land between and surrounding the airports. The plan calls for the development of this land, effectively linking the two airports, and creating a hub for international commerce.
Canadian Consul General Roy Norton – New International Trade Crossing
The proposed plan aims to create a new border crossing between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, by connecting Highway 401 in Ontario with Interstate 75 and Interstate 94 on the Detroit side via a new bridge. By directly connecting highways, the new bridge would allow for an uninterrupted flow of traffic across the border.
Marge Byington – Detroit River Tunnel Partnership
The Detroit River Tunnel Partnership has proposed a plan to improve rail freight service between the U.S. and Canada, which will greatly increase the amount of international trade between the two countries, and secure the future of the Detroit railways. The plan is based around the construction of a new freight tunnel under the Detroit River, which will be able to accommodate freight trains of a width and height that cannot be accommodated by the current Michigan Central Railway Tunnel.
Michigan Department of Transportation – DetroitIntermodal Freight Terminal
Since 1993, the Michigan Department of Transportation has been working with federal, state, and local agencies to improve rail freight transportation in Wayne Country. The proposed plan calls for an intermodal train-to-truck facility to be constructed in Detroit. The planned intermodal terminal will be located at the Livernois-Junction Yard between Livernois Avenue and Wyoming Avenue, just south of Interstate 94. The project is expected to increase the flow of goods in to and out of the city, and boost the regions economic competitiveness.
Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization committed to promoting the responsible use of land, and in doing so, creating sustainable, thriving communities throughout the world. ULI was founded in 1936, and currently operates at an international level, with over 30,000 members in 95 countries. The members of ULI represent the entire spectrum of the land development and real estate industries, in both the public and private sectors.
As the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estate forum, ULI facilitates an open exchange of ideas, information, and experience among local, national, and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better communities.
The Detroit District Council of ULI was formed in 1999. Currently, ULI Detroit has over 400 members comprised of Detroit developers, academics, and public officials.
Source: Urban Land Institute
