MSU Fall 2013 class publishes report on economic development opportunities for Northeast Michigan
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EmailIn Fall 2013, students from the undergraduate course, UP454: Local Economic Planning, part of the Urban & Regional Planning Program at Michigan State University, compiled essays and studies they wrote into a report.
By: SPDC Communications
In Fall 2013, students from the undergraduate course, UP454: Local Economic Planning, part of the Urban & Regional Planning Program (URP) at Michigan State University (MSU), compiled essays and studies they wrote into a report titled Promotion of Tourism, Events and Trails in Northeast Michigan.
The Urban & Regional Planning Program partnered with the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) and the Prima Civitas Foundation to marry theory and practice for the projects worked on during the course.
Mark Wilson, a URP professor in the MSU School of Planning, Design and Construction, taught the course, and described it as an effort of “Urban planning classes at MSU to try to link course topics to real-world applications.”
Because urban planning is a very practice-oriented field, having students do “real-world” work can give them snapshots of what work can be like once their college days are done, said Wilson. They also have the opportunity to write and do research on a professional level, and have a published document featuring their work to show for it.
What NEMCOG was looking for in the partnership was a newer, fresher outlook on potential economic development opportunities for their region, in order to “gain students' perspectives on economic planning around tourism and recreation.”
The final result of the course was a 139-page report featuring students’ final project essays. It is broken down into four sections: 1) Trail Design, Development and Promotion; 2) Tourism Marketing and Promotion; 3) Festivals, Races and Events; and 4) Economic and Tourism Development.
Many projects focused on making use of social media, travel- and tourism-oriented sites, such as Tripadvisor, and targeted internet searches as ways to increase awareness of the region and what it has to offer to local, national and international audiences. The report also emphasized the importance of tracking and following up on customer/visitor reviews of their experiences as a way to help boost the positive image of Northeast Michigan.
The NEMCOG, along with Professor Wilson, seemed pleased with the results of the studies conducted, saying that “the final report showed the creativity and imagination of planning students as they analyzed the region and identified new directions for economic development."
Download the report: Promotion of Tourism, Events and Trails in Northeast Michigan.
