Saturday, November 30, 2002
A quality place represents one essential element for building an innovation economy. In small towns this can be tough, but it is possible. Small towns in Oklahoma are discovering the value of their uniqueness. And that's a good place to start. Read more. Go
The natural outgrowth of this strategy is to develop tourism as an economic development engine. But there are other benefits, as well. With a quality place, smart people are less likely to leave, and more are likely to move in.
The challenge comes down to leadership and civic vision. Can you come together on vision of what makes your small town unique? What makes this vision valuable to people? Think of your small town as a stage set. What elements of this stage set make the experience memorable or different?
Next think about assets. What are the assets that could bring people in (first as tourists, later as residents)? Any economic development plan must play to your assets, so you need to understand these assets clearly. Finally, can you isolate "do-able" projects that build on these assets? That's where you start.
These are the lessons of the Oklahoma towns that are growing.
posted by Ed Morrison |
links
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Building a quality place in a small town
