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A group of college students from The Van Andel Millennial Board walk through The Rapid's rooftop garden in Grand Rapids in this 2012 MLive file photo.

Michigan's population is aging at a faster rate than many states. And the state is struggling to retain and attract recent college grads needed for a bright economic future.



That would seem to be a difficult challenge for policymakers because baby boomers and millennials—those roughly between the ages of 18 and 34—want to live in different types of communities.



Most Michigan baby boomers grew up in the suburbs, smaller cities and rural communities, and are quite content remaining in those places.



Nationally, college-educated millennials are flocking to the downtowns and central neighborhoods of major cities, attracted by an urban vibe and opportunity.



A recent study by the Portland, Ore.-based think tank City Observatory, found that the number of young college graduates living in or near city centers has jumped 37 percent since 2000.



Michigan has captured some of that growth in its two largest cities, Detroit and Grand Rapids. Both cities are experiencing new residential and commercial development in their downtowns, fueled in part by millennials moving there.



But Michigan has a long way to go in attracting more young talent.



Of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country, only Cleveland has a smaller percentage of millennials than Detroit, said Kurt Metzger, a demographics expert who retired last year as head of Data Driven Detroit.



Meanwhile metro Detroit has the third-highest percentage of baby boomers to total population among the largest metro areas, he said.



Michigan policymakers must think more about the needs of younger residents in making public investment decisions, said Metzger, who now is the mayor of Pleasant Ridge in Oakland County.



"So that means we need to talk about funding public transportation," he said in an October interview with Public Sector Consultant's "Bright Ideas" newsletter.



"Young people don't care about putting our money into roads. We need to be putting our money in public transportation and transit alternatives," Metzger said.



The roads must be fixed, of course, but more public transit will benefit Michigan's older residents, too.



"We have to get beyond this idea that buses and public transit are for the poor," Metzger said. "The older population is also looking for transit. They don't want to be driving their cars. They don't want to be in this traffic. And they will have to give up their cars eventually."



A recent national poll by the American Planning Association found that millennials and boomers alike want to live in walkable communities with easy access to parks, shopping, restaurants and other amenities.



"Again, there's a similarity between kids or young people pushing babies in strollers and older people wanting sidewalks where they can walk," Metzger said. "It's not like you're just planning for an older population, you're also providing services that are attractive to young people and young families."



Email Rick Haglund at haglund.rick@gmail.com