At the 2025 Detroit Policy Conference, Creative Class Group Founder Richard Florida unveiled his organization’s latest report, “The Case for a Detroit-Ann Arbor Innovation Corridor,” highlighting the potential for a groundbreaking regional innovation hub.  

The report emphasizes the role of research universities, particularly the University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Michigan State’s Detroit Center, in driving innovation in fields like AI, robotics, and green energy.  

One Detroit contributor Zoe Clark, political director for Michigan Public, sat down with Florida to talk about the possibilities for the Detroit region’s innovation economy.