The Rouge River flows into the Detroit River |
These abandoned industrial sites are slowly being cleaned up, and reclaimed for new uses. An old factory in Milwaukee is undergoing a transformation and starting a new life as a hub of innovation.
"Now [the factory] is getting a makeover and a new mission. It will reopen this summer as a hive of business experimentation swarming with scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. They'll share a lab where new technologies can be tested. Office suites will host startup companies, including one devising a system for cultivating algae as biofuel, another producing a type of pavement that lets rainwater seep into the ground instead of flooding sewers.
The center is part of a broader effort unfolding across the Great Lakes region to regain lost prosperity by developing a "blue economy" — a network of industries that develop products and services related to water, from pump and valve manufacturers to resorts offering vacations along redeveloped lakeshores."
Abandoned industry on the Detroit River |
I like that. A new "Blue Economy" based on the abundance of fresh water in the region. Water that has been taken for granted for so long may now be the economic engine for a bit of a renaissance.
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