35 Small City Housing • Interview • Ellie Abrons Academia and University Role Isabelle O’Toole We’ve talked about how it’s limiting to work on your own. So what’s the role that academic institutions should play in community engagement with the city? And how can these institutions better serve planning commissions or city staff? Ellie Abrons I’ll speak for the University of Michigan, as opposed to generalizing for all academic institutions. Sometimes, these collaborations can be really good. Unfortunately the university has a fraught relationship with some communities. There can be tension between the motivations of some scholars and the needs of a particular community, leading to suspicion and mistrust. In particular, the relationship between U-of-M and the city of Detroit has been problematic at times, with some Photo Credit: MLive 13:49 14:26
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