Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Pennsylvania's governor Rendell has launched a package of six initiatives to revitalize cities and towns. The approach is designed to combat the "no growth sprawl" that a recent Brookings report highlighted.
Critics on the right, though, are not happy. They see the solution to Pennsylvania's challenges in reduced taxes, weaker union influence and a better education system.
The differences of opinion stems from alternative world views. Pragmatists like Rendell see the world inductively. They are willing to launch experiments to figure out "what works". Fiscal conservatives tend to see the world deductively. They have an economic model in their heads, and they push to conform state policy to the model. (EDPros, for the most part, fit into the first camp of inductive pragmatists.)
Read more about Governor Rendell's strategy to revitalize the state's downtowns.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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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.
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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.
Revitalizing Pennsylvania's downtowns
