Southwest Michigan Civic Learning Sessions
Free and open to the public. The Civic Learning Session series is designed to provide balanced, research-informed perspectives on three key focus areas: Data Centers, the Digital Economy & Local Job Creation; Farmland Preservation, Local Ownership & Value-Added Agriculture; and Housing Affordability, Density & Zoning. The sessions introduce core concepts, explore trade-offs, and elevate community questions to build a stronger, shared understanding of complex and evolving issues.
Insights from these conversations will be summarized and used to inform future planning and community discussions, as well as tools and resources that improve public access to information. These sessions are not decision-making forums and do not determine specific outcomes but instead help ensure that future conversations and decisions are better informed and grounded in community perspectives. RSVP below!
Facilitated by Education Access Consulting on behalf of Southwest Michigan Planning Commission
Session Details
-
Data Centers, the Digital Economy & Local Job Creation
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Van Buren Conference Center, Red Haven Room, 490 S Paw Paw St, Lawrence, MI 49064
Format: In-person session, with livestream (channel TBA) and recording available. -
Farmland Preservation, Local Ownership, and Value Added Agriculture
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Southwestern Michigan College campus, Mathews Conference Center, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac, MI 49047
Format: In-person session, with livestream (channel TBA) and recording available. -
Housing Affordability, Density & Zoning
Date: October 2026 — exact date coming soon
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: To be announced
Format: In-person session, with livestream (channel TBA) and recording available.
RSVP
Data Centers, the Digital Economy & Local Job Creation
Session 1 of 3
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Van Buren Conference Center, Red Haven Room, 490 S Paw Paw St, Lawrence, MI 49064
Format: In-person session. This session will be recorded and posted to the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission's website.
Speakers:
Dr. Sarah Mills, Professor of Practice, University of Michigan Urban & Regional Planning; Director, UM Center for EmPowering Communities
Dr. Rex LaMore, Director Emeritus, Michigan State University Center for Community Economic Development
This session offers a grounding in what data centers are and how they function, the trade-offs of hosting them, and key utility and grid considerations. It covers the state policies and incentives shaping where and how data centers are built, environmental regulations and infrastructure demands, and zoning recommendations for local governments. The session then turns to community benefit agreements (CBAs). Attendees will learn what a CBA is, what to consider before entering one, what can and cannot be negotiated with developers, and how to tell whether an agreement actually has teeth. Printed resources and links will be shared.
Meet the Speakers
Dr. Sarah Mills
Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan's Urban & Regional Planning program and the Director of UM's Center for EmPowering Communities
For the last several years, she and her team have received funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to help Michigan local governments understand the pros and cons of different energy sources and understand their options in setting policies, especially related to zoning. Sarah has a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan, a master's in engineering for sustainable development from the University of Cambridge, and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University. She grew up on a farm in Monroe County, Michigan but now lives in Ann Arbor where she serves on the City Planning Commission. Read Full Bio.
Dr. Rex LaMore
Director Emeritus of the Michigan State University's Center for Community Economic Development and a member of the faculty of the Urban and Regional Planning Program.
Dr. LaMore has over 50 years of experience in Community and Economic Development and has focused his career on the unique challenges of revitalizing distressed communities and issues and practices related to equitable development that can help communities and regions begin to reverse patterns of segregation and disinvestment, prevent displacement, and promote equitable revitalization in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Dr. LaMore provides leadership at Michigan State University on a number of federal, foundation and privately funded research and outreach University/Community partnerships. His current research has focused on the “Science of Domicology”. The term “Domicology” coined by Dr. LaMore, recognizes that our built environment has a life cycle and we should plan, design, use, reuse, and eventually deconstruct the structures in our built environment that maximizes the salvage of structural materials, ends blight and abandonment in our communities and creates a new circular economy ecosystem. A number of Dr. LaMore's publications, research reports and handbooks are available at the CCED Website.
Dr. LaMore served as President for the Michigan Association of Planning 2016-17 and served as a commissioner on the Williamstown Township Planning Commission for over 15 years. Read Full Bio.
Farmland Preservation, Local Ownership, and Value Added Agriculture
Session 2 of 3
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Southwestern Michigan College campus, Mathews Conference Center, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac, MI 49047
Format: In-person session, with livestream and recordings available.
Speakers:
Dr. William Knudson, Professor & Product Marketing Economist, MSU Product Center Food • Ag • Bio
Harmony Fierke-Gmazel, Government and Community Vitality Educator, MSU Extension
This session examines land use policy and agriculture in Michigan. Topics include solar siting regulations under Public Act 233, local zoning policy, and agritourism as a strategy for farm viability, along with clean energy development and the tradeoffs it presents for agricultural land.
The session will also cover the current economics of Michigan farmland — including who owns it, how it's being used, and where key trends are headed. The presentation will explore cooperative models and value-added processing as strategies for helping farmers capture more value from what they produce, and will consider how these approaches can support more locally rooted food economies.
Meet the Speakers
Dr. William Knudson
Professor & Product Marketing Economist, Michigan State University Product Center Food • Ag • Bio
Dr. Knudson will walk attendees through the current economics of Michigan farmland - who owns it, how it's being used, and where key trends are headed. He will also explore cooperative models and value-added processing as strategies that may help farmers capture more value from what they grow, and discuss how these approaches can contribute to stronger, more locally rooted food economies.
Harmony Fierke-Gmazel
Government and Community Vitality Educator, Michigan State University
Fierke-Gmazel will speak on the intersection of land use policy and agriculture in Michigan, covering solar siting regulations under Public Act 233, zoning policy, and agritourism as a tool for farm viability. She will also address clean energy development and tradeoffs.
Housing Affordability, Density & Zoning
Session 3 of 3
Date: October 2026 — exact date coming soon
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: To be announced
Format: In-person session. Livestream & recording available.
Speakers: To be announced
Details for this session are coming soon. Check back for the date, location, and speaker lineup, or RSVP below to be notified when they're announced.
Session description coming soon….