GROWTH CENTERS Small and midsize cities form regional, industry partnerships to become hubs for connected and autonomous vehicles BY SHIRAZ AHMED S AGINAW, Mich. - In a formerly abandoned newspaper building converted into a pop-up marketplace boasting nearly 40 eateries, residents of this city 100 miles north of Detroit talk with pride about the transformation of its downtown. Not long ago, locals avoided the neighborhood of the SVRC Marketplace because of one of the highest rates of violent crime in the U.S. Now, thanks to improvements in public safety and investments in the city's downtown, cars pack the parking lots with residents craving international cuisine and trendy nitrogen-cooled ice cream. And city officials mulling more ways to position the region as forward-looking are eyeing one of today's hottest technologies: self-driving, connected cars. City officials are looking to transform Saginaw, Mich., for the 21st century. 22 shift * july 2018