Economic Development

Economic development is vital for most communities. But what kind of development and where it best fits are often challenging questions.These articles & postings consider various aspects of planning for local economic development.

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Economic Ecosystems & Resilience

Economic Ecosystems & Resilience

We need to recognize that economic vitality depends on the health of a community, and that a community is not a set of separate, unrelated systems — a business district, a school system, a park system, a street system — but an ecosystem.

Sailboats in a breeze. Illustration by Marc Hughes for PlannersWeb

Welcome to the Sea Change

The first lesson of sailing is: if the wind is coming straight from the direction you want to go, you can wish all you want, but you can’t go directly there. Are there lessons in this for how we manage our communities?

Graph showing unemployment and underemployment of young workers.

It’s All About Jobs

Could your community or local businesses benefit from passionate, smart, and well-educated workers who are willing to work long hours? A look at ways in which communities have helped connect young adults to jobs.