Deep Dive 002: Lansing — Can Michigan’s Capital Become an Innovation Hub?

Build Order’s second City Deep Dive takes us to Lansing, Michigan.

We first noticed Lansing while researching America’s state capitals. It has what we called the floor and the flywheel: the durable institutional base of a capital city, paired with one of the nation’s largest research universities. On paper, that’s the kind of combination that has propelled cities like Austin and Raleigh onto the national stage.

But strong ingredients don’t automatically produce growth.

So we wanted to understand whether Lansing is simply a stable government and automotive town in the Midwest… or whether it’s quietly assembling the pieces of a future economy.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer way to think about Lansing as a growth platform, and understand why one of America’s overlooked capital cities may be worth watching, even if its biggest chapters haven’t been written yet.

You can listen to this episode on all your favorite platforms: Substack, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, and Overcast.

Chapter descriptions:

• 00:00:06 – Why Lansing surprised us

• 00:01:13 – Lansing’s improbable origin story

• 00:04:24 – The three forces that define Lansing

• 00:06:27 – Can Lansing keep its Michigan State talent?

• 00:12:32 – Beyond the government: Lansing’s next economy

• 00:15:05 – The companies that put Lansing on the map

• 00:18:35 – Can Michigan State build the next Neogen?

• 00:21:18 – Why housing isn’t getting built

• 00:26:52 – Does Lansing have room to grow?

• 00:29:04 – The politics of data centers and EV batteries

• 00:37:06 – Lansing’s strengths, risks, and biggest opportunities

• 00:42:02 – Would we live, build, or invest in Lansing?

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