Economy
A Regional Vision for the Great Lakes
A 100-year plan for the region focuses on harnessing abundant freshwater to fuel an economic rebirth
There’s a shirt you’ll see people wearing every once in a while in Detroit, or Chicago, or Milwaukee. It’s a local pride sort of thing, but less touristy than those “I Heart NY” shirts and not quite as macho as “Don’t Mess with Texas." It’s simple and speaks more directly to Detroit and Chicago and Milwaukee and all their neighbors. It’s just the outline of the Great Lakes. No cities, no states, no nations, no borders. Just the lakes.
The implication is that the lakes themselves are what define the region, not the various cities, states and countries that rely upon them. It’s not a new idea, but one that’s complicated by the reality that these lakes are surrounded by more than 15,000 individual jurisdictions and governmental entities.