ABSTRACT
The goal of this section is to illustrate the usefulness and the different kinds of planning scenarios that can be used to test the feasibility of various relational planning ideas inherent in the ALERT Model. The planning scenarios vary by purpose, scale, location and technology-economic context, among other variables. Scenarios 1 and 2 both stem from our relational planning practice work with the East Central Michigan planning region. This region is typical in that it is not advantaged by being in close proximity to the metropolitan areas of Detroit and Grand Rapids. Further, the general empirical context for these planning scenarios is helpful also in that this case region is representative of many economically developed regions around the world, the local economies of which were driven primarily by manufacturing industries.
