Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc., (TREO) has released a new economic strategy. Read more. The strategy targets five areas of strategic activity:
+ Focus on high-wage jobs in high-growth industries + Promote educational excellence + Redevelop urban zones + Develop livable communities by improving infrastructure and crime reduction + Promote collaborative governance and stewardship
The economic development strategy is important because it recognizes that "economic development" includes initiatives that traditional economic development considered as workforce development and community development. In the past, most EDPros saw these areas as outside their sphere of interest or influence. (Indeed, these categories -- workforce development, economic development, community development -- have been rooted in federal programs and bureaucracies formed decades ago.)
As economic development shifts, we are seeing a more connected, systems view of economic development emerge. This perspective sees the connections among different types of civic investment designed to build a community or region. Tucson's strategy does a god job in articulating this new view.
You can download the report and other materials from this page.
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.
Tucson unveils a strategy
