CNN hails Grand Rapids as a "Michigan Success Story"

In a lengthy feature story this week, CNN highlights the success Grand Rapids has had in engineering new urban growth in the past two decades with the collaboration among those leaders dedicated to making the city prosper. As old-economy industries faltered throughout the 1990s, the city began redirecting its vision and efforts, offering lessons to other cities such as Detroit looking for a new redevelopment plan.

According to excerpts from the story:

That this plan has taken hold in, of all places, the Rustbelt of Michigan makes it all the more remarkable. Two decades ago the city could have been headed the way of Flint, Pontiac, and, yes, Detroit. But instead its fortunes have steadily improved, thanks to a remarkable combination of business leadership, public-private cooperation, and the deep pockets of local philanthropists.

Read the complete story here.