Throughout the afternoon, faculty members met with architects, contractors and leaders of local and state government to discuss the need for developing partnerships to help prepare against changes in population and urbanization in the future.

“Young people want urban, fun towns – East Lansing, Ann Arbor (and) Grand Rapids,” said Andrea Brown, director at the Michigan Association of Planning. “Small towns have slowly become a thing of the past.”

The idea for the showcase was developed last year to help address issues of population growth and urbanization, said Scott Witter, director of the School of Planning, Design and Construction.

The built sector is the foundation for human activity, experts at the event said, and includes many different forms of infrastructure, such as buildings, parks, green space and neighborhoods. The field is also a major component to Michigan’s economy and provides more than 370,000 jobs in more than 60,000 firms and generates more than $103 billion in direct revenues, according to a School of Planning, Design and Construction data.

“I believe this event gives students an opportunity to see how to apply the things we’re learning in our lectures, and understand the purpose of coming together to create a more holistic, educated and informed approach,” said urban and regional planning graduate student Dawn Ceballos, who attended the panel discussion.

Although population issues will continue to develop in the future, Witter said, addressing these issues now is the best way to limit their negative impact.

“We need to start preparing for it now because you can’t always control what the end result will be,” Witter said. “If we are able to partner together, we can address these problems and create sustainable solutions to these challenges in the future.”