One of the nation's leading experts on regionalism will discuss how Northwest Indiana can renew its economy by effectively tapping into global transportation networks.

Michael Gallis, of Gallis & Associates, is being brought to town by the Northwest Indiana Forum, just months before developers are expected to come forward with plans for an intermodal rail yard south of the city of LaPorte.

He will speak at 6 p.m., Dec. 6, at the Michigan City High School Auditorium. The event is open to the public but registration is required.

Gallis will help people understand how the region can plan for changes in the transportation marketplace, according to Northwest Indiana Forum CEO Vince Galbiati.

"To understand the relationship among the systems of the region, how its parts fit together, and how we can position Northwest Indiana in the global transportation and logistics marketplace is why we have invited Michael Gallis to Northwest Indiana," Galbiati said.

Gallis, described by the The Business Journal, of Charlotte, N.C., as "the guru of regionalism," travels the United States and the world preaching about the importance of regional planning.

His firm has pioneered the use of easily readable maps that allow people to understand how world transportation routes affect their community.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based Gallis has led strategic development projects for regions including Cincinnati; Memphis, Tenn.; west Michigan and Charlotte. His firm currently is working on a project for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The LaPorte County intermodal development appears to be moving toward a concrete proposal from developers.

Real estate development group Grubb & Ellis/Cressy & Everett, of South Bend, has options with landowners to purchase thousands of acres near U.S. 6 and Ind. 39 in Union Mills for the intermodal site.

Three railroads, Canadian National, CSX and the SouthShore and South Bend Railroad, a short-haul freight carrier, all have tracks that pass through or near that acreage.

LaPorte County Commissioners have created a 21-member task force to review any intermodal proposal that may come before county zoning and planning boards.

Gallis' viewpoint is essential if people want to understand how to tie businesses and people together and what the future may hold for LaPorte County, according to Tim Gropp, Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp. executive director.

"Without this understanding, any strategy or project will be nothing more than a shot in the dark," Gropp said.

Gallis was an associate professor of architecture and planning in the College of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 1974 to 1997. Michael Gallis & Associates was formed in the early 1980s to provide communities with new tools for strategic planning.

The firm has a philosophy that a comprehensive and strategic framework must be created before any plan or real estate project can be effective, according to its Web site.