Michigan, the home of Detroit—the motor city—is seeking new ways to move transportation into the future. The new initiative, Transforming Transportation: Economies and Communities (TTEC) is a multi-institutional program designed by Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University.
Their goal is to research ways to transform the regional, state, national, and even global transportation industries. Each university will prepare individually for an inaugural transportation summit to be held in Detroit, Mich. in October 2010.
Transportation is a key part of Michigan’s economy, and transportation research has consistently been an interest of these three universities as well as what is called the university research corridor for years. But, now the corridor is making an active effort to help strengthen the transportation infrastructure of Michigan, which has been waning for some time.
The University of Michigan estimates that between mid-2000 to 2009, the state lost approximately 1 million jobs or one-fifth of its work force, with much of that force related to transportation areas.
Thus, this change in the economic climate in the last decade has severely affected the state and regional community. Many among these three universities believe that this is the time to rebuild what was lost and recapture the state mantle of being the nation’s transportation center.
Michigan is situated almost in the center position between Canada and the United States. So, they are in a prime position to expand and re-energize its transportation industry which would positively affect all surrounding areas including Canada and the United States.
“The intent of the initiative is to build research teams composed of university, community, business, and government partners in an effort to better understand the transport of people and products in ways that also stimulate innovative approaches to economic development,” stated Hiram Fitzgerald, Michigan State University associate provost for university outreach and engagement in a press release.
