Town-Gown Partnerships Focus of Prosperity Agenda Radio Show on News/Talk 760 WJR

By Dan Gilmartin

David Lossing talks about Town-Gown partnerships.

Town-Gown partnerships and the important relationship between communities and their adjacent colleges and universities is the theme of this month’s Prosperity Agenda radio show on News/Talk 760 WJR.

The show airs 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2013, but you can listen anytime here.

During the show, we discuss how cooperation between city and high education institutions can lead to the economic vibrancy of the entire community.

Dan Gilmartin talks about Town-Gown.

Many experts agree that the key to restoring economic prosperity in Michigan is creating the kinds of communities where people want to live. One way to accomplish this is the completion of Town-Gown projects.

What does Town-Gown mean? Town-gown is the interaction of the inhabitants of a college or university town (Town) and the students and personnel of the college (Gown).

Universities and host towns have an incentive to cooperate, as the schools require city services and need city approval for long-range plans, while the university towns need remuneration for public services provided.

My co-host for the show is Marjory Raymer, community news editor for the Flint Journal and mlive.com.

Our guests are Chris LaGrand, deputy director of Housing for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority; Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Anthony Bosbous; and David Lossing, President of the Michigan Municipal League, Mayor of Linden, director of government relations for University of Michigan-Flint, and founder of the League’s Town Gown blog.

Marjory Raymer talks about Town-Gown Relationships.

For more on this topic, be sure to check out the Michigan Municipal League’s Town-Gown blog.

The Prosperity Agenda is a monthly radio show that challenges listeners to help make Michigan a better place to live, work and play by creating vibrant and prosperous local communities. It airs on News/Talk 760 WJR on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Our March show is scheduled to air 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2013, however and you can listen to it anytime at the League’s website or by subscribing to the FREE iTunes podcast. Learn more about the placemaking concept here as well as on this blog.

Dan Gilmartin is CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League and host of the monthly Prosperity Agenda Radio Show on News/Talk 760 WJR.