Page 13 - Kettering Magazine - Spring 2013

reimagining “Kettering was perfect for me. I was blown away by the caliber a Community of academics.” – Kristina Kamensky, Kettering Class of 2009 flint’s new Urban landscape includes the expansion other occupants of the Innovation Center are also of the River Trail, new businesses re-populating the good examples of flint’s new Urbanism. swedish downtown area, a thriving farmer’s Market within biogas International, a company working with the walking distance of downtown and a dynamic City of flint wastewater treatment facility to process small-city arts and music scene that ties the diverse human waste and food waste into biogas as an community together with monthly art Walks and alternative energy source, collaborates with Kettering seasonal art in the Parks and Music in the Parks faculty and students on research. The swedish biogas programs. project is a partnership between Kettering University, Kettering University is embedded in many of the City of flint, the state of Michigan and swedish these initiatives. When Kamensky peddles to biogas International of linkoping, sweden. work, she travels the renamed University avenue Kettering researchers are currently working on a (formerly Third avenue) that connects Kettering process to refine the biogas into bio-methane for use and the University of Michigan-flint campuses. The fueling vehicles, like the 2500hD Chevy silverado name change, part of the College Town Initiative that was converted to run on a dual-fuel system and with Kettering, UM-flint, baker College and Mott renewable natural gas. Community College, was accomplished by re- Kettering and swedish biogas are also working with surfacing the street into a boulevard with new the City of flint on a Phytoremediation project to use landscaping and street lighting from the west side of municipal compost and biogas processing derivatives Kettering’s campus all the way to UM-flint’s White to provide organic cover for an industrial brownfield building (approximately three miles). within the city. The area, adjacent to the Kettering University avenue is also part of the Carriage campus, will be rehabilitated as a green space along Town historic District revitalization, and bisects the the banks of the flint River from the east side of neighborhood surrounding and being redeveloped campus to downtown flint. by hurley Medical Center and atwood stadium on fridays, Kamensky can peddle along the flint authority. River Trail toward downtown to attend her weekly When she visits the Innovation Center, Kamensky Rotary meeting. she joined the service club to is literally at a crossroads for the flint River Trail connect with other business owners and leaders project, a 17-mile bike/inline skate/walking/fishing in flint, and enjoys the group’s community service asphalt trail along the banks of the flint River, focus and the opportunity to meet and work with stretching from Mott lake at its northernmost point everyone from a retired horologist to a political aide- to just south of Kettering’s campus past Mott Golf de-camp her own age. Course. Kettering worked with the Crim fitness like all pioneers, Kamensky sees potential instead foundation and the state of Michigan to develop the of problems. she and other young urbaneers are trail through the campus with expansions of existing helping reshape flint into their own version of a sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and signage. frontier town. Spring 2013 13