Quality of Life Study Says Michigan Cities
Lag Their National Counterparts

The new economy race has everybody scurrying for the facts about their competitiveness. Michigan's business leaders yesterday released a report that examined Michigan's cities' competitiveness nationally. Titled "Impacts of Quality of Life Indicators on Michigan Cities," the report was a cooperative effort between the Michigan Business Roundtable and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and was funded by the MEDC, the Frey Foundation in Grand Rapids and the Hudson Webber Foundation in Detroit.

What did the study conclude? The quality-of-life indicator index shows that Michigan cities, with the exception of Ann Arbor, trail their peer cities across the nation in terms of providing an environment that incubates new economy businesses. Indicators such as culture, education, health, housing, labor market, globalization, cost of living, parks, safety, transportation, and weather were studied. In addition to this ranking, the report also includes perceptions of Michigan based on focus groups and survey results.

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