Cool Cities Initiative began as an initiative started by Michigan Governor

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician who was the 16th United States secretary of energy from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously served as the 47t ...

to spur growth and investment in

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

cities. The Initiative was proposed in 2003 in response to the brain drain of students attending college in Michigan and then seeking employment out of the state. The Cool Cities Initiative was inspired by Dr. Richard Florida's 2002 book The Rise of the Creative Class. Funded Projects: Cool Cities funded $1.9 million dollars in catalysts grants in Michigan The Stadium District, immediately south of Oldsmobile Park in

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

, was redeveloped using a grant from the Cool Cities project.

References

Urban planning in the United States Economy of Michigan {{econ-policy-stub