DETROIT – Michigan Central is launching a public-private partnership with the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, and Google is joining Ford Motor Company as a Founding Member of the pioneering mobility innovation district headquartered at the renovated train station in Cork Town.
These critical partnerships will enable Michigan Central to advance its vision to help create a more accessible future for all, the group said in a press release.
“Only a few short years ago, I announced Ford’s investment in Detroit because I believed in a vision that reimagined the iconic Michigan Central train station and surrounding area as a place of possibility again,” said Bill Ford, executive chair, Ford Motor Company. “Today’s announcements reflect our commitment to that vision, attracting the best and the brightest to come together to solve some of the world’s toughest challenges. The arrival of Google as a founding partner is exactly the kind of investment and progress I knew was possible to revitalize our hometown. And I could not be more pleased that the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan are also joining us in this ambitious effort. I know it is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.”
Google and Ford – along with future Founding Members – will be part of a diverse group of companies at Michigan Central collaborating on the products, services and experiences that help define the future of mobility. Guided by a shared commitment, Founding Members, will support the culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable community development that define Michigan Central’s mission.
To foster this work, Google will provide cloud technology for Michigan Central’s mobility projects. The Mountain View, California-based company – co-founded by University of Michigan graduate Larry Page – also will offer workforce development training to local high school students and job seekers.
“We’re proud to join Ford as a Founding Member at Michigan Central,” said Ruth Porat, senior vice president and CFO of Google and Alphabet, via a live streamed press conference Friday morning. “This partnership will expand our work in Michigan and help a substantial number of people gain the skills and tools they need to succeed. By offering digital skills training, mentoring to high schoolers learning to code, and Google Cloud technology for Michigan Central projects and research on the future of mobility, we look forward to contributing to Michigan Central’s mission and all it will accomplish.”
Ford Motor Company announced plans to restore the iconic train station in 2018 as the centerpiece of a 30-acre open innovation platform to help define the way people and goods move around in the future. The once world-class station had been abandoned since 1988. The project is on track, attracting partners from around the world to create an inclusive, vibrant, walkable mobility innovation district in Corktown, Detroit’s oldest neighborhood.
The public-private partnership between Michigan Central, the state of Michigan and the city of
Detroit will make the district a hub for talent, mobility innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, affordable housing, small business opportunities and community engagement. The state will invest to ensure the community shares in the district’s success through new standards for housing and engagement, and that other economic goals become reality.
The state of Michigan plans to align more than $126 million new and existing programming and resources to support the goals of the district. This pledge includes new resources for district programming provided by the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. It also includes the alignment of existing state, like the reconstruction of Michigan Avenue and the development of new housing units around the district by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
“Ford is an American icon that has left its mark on Michigan – and the world – for more than 100 years, and we are proud to partner with Ford and other founding members at Michigan Central to shape the next century of transportation solutions while reducing emissions and accelerating electrification,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “By embracing a whole-of-government approach in our collaboration with Michigan Central and the city of Detroit, we are writing the playbook for a new kind of partnership that keeps Michigan at the forefront of mobility for generations to come. Together, we can continue growing Michigan’s economy, putting Michiganders first, and win the next century of auto manufacturing and technology development.”
The city of Detroit Administration also will designate a Transportation Innovation Zone inside the district where companies from corporations to startups can access improved and expedited review and approval processes to more effectively pilot new technologies in a safe, real-world environment. This first-of-its-kind testing site in the Midwest will accelerate the number of new technology deployments in the district.
“Just a few years ago, this train station was our city’s international symbol of abandonment,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. “Now, it’s the symbol of our city’s resurgence and soon will anchor this new innovation district, developed by Ford, where innovators from around the world will create the future of mobility. For more than a century, Detroit has been the leader in automotive innovation and today marks a major step forward in keeping Detroit at the forefront of mobility innovation for the next century.”
The newly created Michigan Central Innovation District LLC will manage operations and support the district’s core initiatives.
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To watch the news conference on demand, click on the arrow below.
