Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 23
"
We're trying to bring
people back home and
retain the college grads
by making this area
attractive.
JoAnn Crary
Future transportation technology "is another
way to demonstrate our innovation and makes
us attractive to young people," said JoAnn
Crary, president of Saginaw Future, an economic development organization. "This shows
the vibrancy of the community as a place where
they'll want to be."
NEEDED: PARTNERSHIPS
For small and midsize cities such as Saginaw
- those with populations between 30,000 and
200,000 - transportation innovation means
more than cutting commute times. Becoming
a hub for connected and autonomous vehicles
can boost a cash-strapped region's technological infrastructure, lure companies to its backyard and help regions left behind by the knowledge economy recast themselves for the 21st
century.
"There are things that smaller or mediumsized communities can do to be part of this
realm," said Valerie Brugeman, senior project
manager at the Center for Automotive Research
and lead author of a report on how the Saginaw
region can grow its transportation sector. "They
don't have to sit and watch."
But they can't do it alone. To compete with
bigger cities with bigger budgets such as Austin,
Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Detroit, Phoenix and
Pittsburgh, these communities need regional and
industry partnerships to woo companies developing connected and autonomous technology.
While large urban areas are turning to
carpooling, ride-hailing and other mobility
models to deal with increasing congestion,
Saginaw, like many other Rust Belt cities, has
lost population. The city is home to nearly
48,000 residents. From 2010 to 2017, the
population declined by nearly 3,000, or 5.5
percent, according to the U.S. Census and the
American Community Survey.
Fewer people means less economic activity and less city revenue from income taxes.
Three in 10 Saginaw residents remain under the
"
poverty level, double that of the state overall.
A 2017 analysis from the Lincoln Institute of
Land Policy reviewed 24 similar small and midsize cities in the Midwest and Northeast, and
found that depopulation resulted from a longterm decline in manufacturing, aging populations and persistent economic stagnation compared with the nation overall.
"There are just less people," Crary said.
"We're trying to bring people back home and
retain the college grads by making this area
attractive."
In addition to developing downtown, city officials are introducing new housing options, considering installation of electric vehicle chargers and
shifting road planning to create more walkable
communities - all to woo educated millennials
who experts say want more from their communities than low tax rates and affordable housing.
One of Saginaw County's largest employers and taxpayers is Nexteer Automotive, a
Chinese-owned steering supplier whose work
in advanced safety and autonomous technologies spurred city leaders to investigate how to
support connected vehicle pilots.
Deploying these vehicles means upgrading
infrastructure such as traffic lights, improving
broadband access, accommodating public testing needs through road closures and dedicated
public resources for private use and reporting
traffic information for use in high-definition maps.
Federspiel: Hopes for fewer accidents
Saginaw now features international cuisine.
OUTSIZED BENEFITS
Letting companies turn a city's backyard into a
public r&d lab isn't cheap or easy, but communities can reap large benefits from opting in.
For example, drive south from Saginaw to
Marysville, Ohio, a city of 24,000 people northwest of Columbus that has realized these benefits through the good fortune of location and collaboration. More than 30 years ago, Honda built
U.S. manufacturing operations nearby, opening
Continued on next page
A Saginaw bake shop offers sweet treats.
Photos: Shiraz Ahmed
july 2018 * shift
23
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018
Contents
From the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Q&A
News Bits
New Generation
City Envy
Empty Highways
In the Flow
Charger Case Study
Get the Door
Big City Dreams
Tech Tension
Last Mile
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Intro
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Cover2
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Contents
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - From the Editor
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Letters to the Editor
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Q&A
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - News Bits
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - New Generation
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 9
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - City Envy
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 11
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 12
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Empty Highways
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - In the Flow
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 15
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Charger Case Study
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 17
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Get the Door
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 19
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 20
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 21
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Big City Dreams
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 23
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - 24
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Tech Tension
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Last Mile
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Cover3
Shift Magazine - Issue 2 2018 - Cover4
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