Join local and national experts on Tuesday, October 7 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. as they convene at Wayne State to discuss ways to strengthen commercial development and create economic opportunity during a symposium entitled The New Economy: The university as a catalyst for urban development.

"WSU is vital for the Detroit of tomorrow," said Robin Boyle, professor of urban planning, is an expert on urban economic development, schools and community planning. "The Woodward corridor: from downtown through Midtown through to the New Center, is quickly shaping as the core of the city and the University is the anchor tenant."

As Michigan inevitably moves away from an industrial based economy, urban universities such as Wayne State are leading the way towards a new, information and technology driven market.

With ground breaking alternative energy advances, rising start-up companies and its sheer intellectual heft, Wayne State University has been hailed as a key economic engine driving the revitalization of Midtown Detroit.

During the conference, Wayne State University and the Urban Land Institute (Detroit District Council) will examine the building blocks of successful collaborations. Participants will learn how universities across the country have formed effective alliances to spur business growth and strategize with experienced professionals on ways to strengthen commercial development and create economic opportunity. Network with leading developers, architects and community development specialists whose work has left a lasting imprint on our cities.

Optional tours of Midtown and TechTown are availble from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wayne State's business and technology park, allow participants to experience firsthand new teaching and research facilities, residential developments and entertainment and cultural offerings that are spurring growth in Detroit.

The conference is recommended for commercial developers, architects, urban planners and government officials. Cost is $75 per person, and is open to ULI members and non-members.

Symposium experts include: Albert Ratner, Co-chairman of the Board, Forest City Enterprises, Inc., (Cleveland, Ohio); John Austin, executive director, The New Economy Initiative (Detroit, Michigan); Luis Proenza, president, The University of Akron (Akron, Ohio); David Perry, director of the Great Cities Institute (Chicago, Illinois); Fred Pierce, chief executive officer, Pierce Education Properties (San Diego, California); George Jackson, president, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (Detroit, Michigan); Robert Gibbs, founder, Gibbs Planning Group (Birmingham, Michigan); Roberta Jorgensen, Rossetti and Associates, Architects (Newport Beach, California)

The role of the Urban Land Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Members are drawn from the development industry writ-large: with representation from the worlds of finance, law, architecture and planning, construction and the public sector.

For more information on the symposium and to register, please visit https://specialevents.wayne.edu/urban/index.php

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.