Among other things, the plan includes create job growth and economic prosperity. David Kidd
Governing Magazine quoted Michael Pagano, GCI fellow and dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, on Detroit’s new 50-year plan, which was developed by a nonprofit think tank and incorporates public-private partnerships. Pagano says the public private effort saves government funds and gives the project more credibility.
Detroit’s undertaking may be unprecedented but it is representative of an ongoing trend in cities: More and more, they are looking to partner with nonprofit agencies on common goals. Taking these ideas outside of city hall doesn’t just save city resources, says the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Michael Pagano, it also gives a project instant “do-gooder” credibility. What sets Detroit’s work apart is that the DFC will act as a clearinghouse for dozens of these public-private partnerships. That kind of convener role is an important one, because it provides balance between the thinkers and the doers.
