A lineup of urban planning experts will be participating in a four-part series of lectures designed to address innovative strategies to improve cities, and taking Governor Jennifer Granholm's \"Cool City\" concept to a new level. The series, called "Art + Local Economic Development," is free and open to the general public.

The series, developed to encourage a community wide discussion on the practicality of using art to energize economic development, will offer different dimensions from each expert. Throughout the four sessions, presenters will focus on art, education, neighborhood improvement and connecting with stakeholder groups across the city.

The first program, titled "The Art of the Smarter City," will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 12 noon-1:30 p.m. at Wayne State University's TechTown, 440 Burroughs, Entrepreneurial Suite, Detroit. RSVP's should be received by May 19. Panelists include Carol Coletta, Coletta & Company Inc., Memphis, Tenn.; Karen Gagnon, C3-Cool Cities Coordinator, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development; and Paul Schutt, chair, Education and Outreach Committee, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development.

Coletta has been pioneering strategies to improve cities for 30 years. She is the host and producer of the award winning nationally syndicated public radio program "Smart City."

"Collaboration - The Essence of Success," part two of the series, will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 12 noon-1:30 p.m., at Focus: HOPE, Center for Advanced Technologies, 1400 Oakman Blvd., Detroit. RSVP's should be received by May 26.

William Strickland, president and CEO of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, is the featured speaker.

Economist Ann Markuson will be the featured speaker during part three of the series scheduled on Thursday, June 9, 12 noon-1:30 p.m., at McGregor Memorial Conference Center, 495 Ferry Mall, on Wayne State University's main campus. RSVP's should be received by June 3.

Markuson, professor and director, Project on Regional and Industrial Economics (PRIE), Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, will be presenting a talk titled "...but does it work?"

The final presentation of the four-part series, titled "Building New Community," will be held on Thursday, June 16, 12 noon-1:30 p.m., at the Business United with Officers & Youth (BUOY 3), 3041 W. Vernor, Detroit. RSVP's should be received by June 10. Artist Lily Yeh, founder of the Village of Arts and Humanities in Philadelphia, will be the featured speaker.

Yeh began working with neighborhood children to transform an abandoned lot in North Philadelphia into a colorful park. Following three summers of work and a growing number of volunteer children and adults, the project was completed transforming an impoverished urban setting into an art park.

Sponsored by The Richard C. Van Dusen Forum On Urban Issues and Wayne State University's College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, the Van Dusen Forum is named after the late Richard C. Van Dusen, a prominent attorney from Detroit who made a lifetime commitment to improving urban communities. Among his many accomplishments, Van Dusen served as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, and chaired the Detroit Regional Chamber. He was also a distinguished governor of Wayne State University.

For further information and to reserve a seat, call (313) 577-5071 by June 3, 2005. Lunch will be served - there is no charge but RSVP is required. Also visit www.culma.wayne.edu and select an information link to the "Art + Local Economic Development" under "Upcoming Events."

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.