That part of Michigan, and adjoining parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois are sort of a megacity now though, so the University isn't a main factor these days.
It was one of the best experiences of my life. Terrific little town.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan,_Kansas
I think Athens, Georgia was about 100k people 40 years or so ago and is now 125k. It is home to UGA, one of the big two universities in the state. It's also a source of some big name bands, like R.E.M.
The Chicago to Detroit train runs >100 mph and the Toronto to Windsor line is being upgraded to do the same. Earlier this month Amtrak revealed that they are working with Ontario to have service from Chicago to Toronto via Detroit. The railroad tunnel under the Detroit River already exists. It's basically going to be another population corridor that runs parallel to the Bos-Wash corridor with high-speed rail running through the spine. Ann Arbor has a train station on that line, so it will certainly benefit.
Isn't a big part of the thrust of the article that walkable housing is becoming less and less affordable? If the university owned a bunch of adjoining vacant land, it would be easy to add housing. But it's more or less land locked.