Is U-M becoming a luxury product?

There's a provocative and well-written think-piece in the Nov. 26 Michigan Daily that asks important questions about how the income divide is reflected in housing choices in Ann Arbor. The writer voices well-founded concerns about the state's premiere public university becoming a resource that only those with significant wealth can access. On the other hand, the idea that incresased housing choices might incite downward pressure on housing costs is never mentioned. All in all, good food for thought about U-M's and Ann Arbor's future.

 

 

"With the plethora of buildings actively advertising themselves as “luxury” and “embodiments of the good life,” this housing trend reflects the ever-sharpening divide between higher- and lower-income University students — a rarely discussed, but critical issue considering only 16 percent of University students receive Pell Grants."

 

Read the rest here.