It Seems Everybody Has Advice For Michigan; What Do You Think?

At Xconomy, we queried our network of innovation leaders across the country for their list of the most important things that we here in Michigan can do to reinvigorate our economy, and we’ve been publishing the results in our “Xconomist Forum” section. Recently, somebody asked me whether I thought all this advice for Michigan from outsiders was a little condescending to Detroiters.

I responded that I’d be thrilled if readers got angry at some of these columns. There’s nothing like controversy to generate hits and discussion!

But, in general, I think there is recognition here that Detroit needs all the help it can get. To say things are bad here is a severe understatement. And even the biggest Detroit cheerleaders at least recognize that. So, if anybody from Boston, Seattle, San Diego, or anywhere else has some good advice for us, there are few people in Southeast Michigan who would get offended.

Yes, some of the suggestions from our Xconomists might make a few Detroiters mad. Others reflect things that are already being done, and still others are direct criticisms of actions being taken. Well, we have a couple more weeks of these posts coming up, and we want to encourage you to contribute ideas of your own, or agree or disagree with what has been discussed so far. When it’s over, I’ll have a few things to say about these ideas. Meanwhile, please let us know what you think.

Here are some of the ideas our Xconomists and others have come up with, along with links to their full columns. You can contribute to the comments section on individual posts, or let us know, in general, what you think of the series at [email protected]

Author: Howard Lovy

Howard Lovy is a veteran journalist who has focused primarily on technology, science and innovation during the past decade. In 2001, he helped launch Small Times Magazine, a nanotech publication based in Ann Arbor, MI, where he built the freelance team and worked closely with writers to set the tone and style for an emerging sector that had never before been covered from a business perspective. Lovy's work at Small Times, and on one of the first nanotechnology-themed blogs, helped him earn a reputation for making complex subjects understandable, interesting, and even entertaining for a broad audience. It also earned him the 2004 Prize in Communication from the Foresight Institute, a nanotech think tank. In his freelance work, Lovy covers nanotechnology in addition to technological innovation in Michigan with an emphasis on efforts to survive and retool in the state's post-automotive age. Lovy's work has appeared in many publications, including Wired News, Salon.com, the Wall Street Journal, The Detroit News, The Scientist, the Forbes/Wolfe Nanotech Report, Michigan Messenger, and the Ann Arbor Chronicle.