Urban, mixed-use neighborhoods key to attracting, retaining young talent

Vibrant, walkable neighborhoods — not jobs — are key to attracting and retaining young talent to Michigan’s cities, according to a new study commissioned by a coalition of business and government leaders.

Excerpt:

If you look at the urban centers in America that are succeeding and growing in per capita income and in population, they’re doing it by attracting millennials, said David Egner, chairman of Michigan Future’s board and president of the Hudson-Webber Foundation.

For Detroit to succeed, there has to be a focus on the amenities and the qualities millennials want in the city, he said. “We’ll continue to talk in the foundation community about what this data means to our future funding.”

“In the past, we thought the jobs had to come first,” said Laura Trudeau, senior program officer at the Troy-based Kresge Foundation.

But young people are demonstrating that they are making decisions based on things like environment, sustainability, walkability, the opportunity to interact with other people and quality of life.

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