Megapolitan areas compete globally

[begingri]

Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University outside of Phoenix, last month ventured into potentially hostile territory 120 miles south in Tucson, home of the University of Arizona, to address 600 civic and business leaders.

His message was jaw-dropping: Put aside the rivalry between the universities and the metropolitan areas and join forces to form one giant urban powerhouse to compete globally with an economy larger than that of theUnited Arab Emirates.

"Competitiveness between two communities gets us nowhere," Crow says. "We've been asleep at the switch too long."

Because population and economic growth is not spread evenly across the country [[the 309 million Americans occupy only a quarter of all private land), planners and demographers for several years have advocated planning on a scale larger than cities, metropolitan areas or states.

A new book details this urban geography. It predicts that by 2040, there will be 10 distinct clusters composed of 23 megapolitan areas in the contiguous 48 states. The Phoenix-Tucson area, for example, is in the Sun Corridor megapolitan area, part of the Southwest megapolitan cluster that includes Las Vegas and Southern California.

"The threat of global competition has made these regions seek each other out for competitive advantage," says Robert Lang, co-author of Megapolitan America. "There are a lot of cities that don't like each other. Tucson and Phoenix have been at each other's throats, but when it comes to industries like solar or optics … from a global perspective, this is the same region."

Crow says economic competition is less about the USA vs. China than megapolitan areas here competing with Shanghai or Hong Kong.

The authors define megapolitans as having at least one metropolitan area of 2 million people by 2040 that's connected — via commuting patterns — to at least one other metro area of more than 250,000 people. A megapolitan cluster has several megapolitan areas that are connected by commuting, trucking or commuter airline and share terrain, climate, culture, economic base and political culture.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-17/megapolitan/51451598/1

[Hypestyles]

so what will it take for Detroit to achieve this level of merged regional government and services? Never mind...

[animatedmartian]

The authors define megapolitans as having at least one metropolitan area of 2 million people by 2040 that's connected — via commuting patterns — to at least one other metro area of more than 250,000 people.

Yeeeeeeeeaa, I don't foresee Grand Rapids and Detroit having strong connections any time in the future, but ya never know. I guess if some better high speed transportation was developed between now and then...

...

Ok now I'm really pessimistic...

[1953]

I'm a big supporter of regional agendas, though Jane Jacobs made the interesting point in Life and Death of Great American Cities that we have yet to figure out how to plan neighborhoods and cities well, let alone regions. If we do plan regionally, it may need to be very big picture, even though I'd love to have an address in the Michigan Corridor Megaplex [[ok, we need to work on the name, but I like what the brand stands for).

[DetroitPlanner]

Yeeeeeeeeaa, I don't foresee Grand Rapids and Detroit having strong connections any time in the future, but ya never know. I guess if some better high speed transportation was developed between now and then...

...

Ok now I'm really pessimistic...

Ann Arbor-Ypsi has about 250k and Toledo is much larger. We have more in common with those Cities than with GR.

Typed that before clicking on articles and seeing map. This stuff is very general. It should not be a surprise to anyone who has read the Jane Jacobs book mentioned above. I still see very weak links between Detroit and western Michigan. Western Michigan does still have some manufacturing, but its largely furniture. Its been in decline too. You can see as many for lease signs in GR, Holland, K-zoo and Muskegon as you see along Mound or Plymouth Roads.

We also have a much better position to trade gloablly than most places. There are kernels of truth in Areotropolis in that we have more runways handling both frieght and passenger traffic than just about any other City. We also have a pretty good wetern connection and southern conncections for freight via rail and we have the highest volume port of entry for any City in the united States, even though most of that arrives by truck over bridges or through tunnels.

[English]

so what will it take for Detroit to achieve this level of merged regional government and services? Never mind...

I'm extremely pessimistic that we'll ever see that happen any time soon. It's unfortunate.

[casscorridor]

It might be hard to see southern Michigan as one region, but there still is heavy integration, via auto industry, freeways and rail lines. If there was improved passenger and freight rail connections between the metros of Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor-Yspilanti, Flint, Toledo, Jackson, Kalamazoo-Battle Creek and Lansing, we would see it more. These cities are already all connected by only three intestates - 94, 96 and 75. Most of these cities have public universities that could be more collaborative with each other. And we have strong ties to our surrounding regions of Chicago, Ohio Valley, Steel Corridor and the Canadian Corridor with our location at the center of this so-called Great Lakes Megapolis.

Michigan priorities should be creating frequent rail service between the Michigan region's cities, and true high-speed service to/from other regions, such as Chicago. One incredible advantage of being in New York or Philadelphia, is the centrality in the Northeast Megapolis, one can travel within a few hours to some of America's largest metros such as Boston or Washington DC. Detroit has a similar geographic centrality, but our region is further spread out, and lacks the efficient connections between cities that enable easy daily commuting. Detroit could be in store for some major growth if these connections are improved and there is a plan for the urban core.

[fryar]

"There are a lot of cities that don't like each other. Tucson and Phoenix have been at each other's throats, but when it comes to industries like solar or optics … from a global perspective, this is the same region."

I get it! They're being incredibly provincial!

[professorscott]

so what will it take for Detroit to achieve this level of merged regional government and services? Never mind...

No doubt. What a pipe dream. We as a region can't agree on anything significant. As long as we cling to this idiotic notion of "home rule", we will never rise above the swamp in which we live.

Great idea, but we are way too dysfunctional to achieve anything.