Monday, April 16, 2007
Smart civic leaders in regional economic development know what they do not know.
They routinely organize their colleagues into delegations to visit other cities. These delegations range from 40 or so on the low end to nearly 200 on the high end.
In 2006, Cincinnati went to Boston, Oklahoma City went to Indianapolis, Phoenix went to Austin. Milwaukee went to Denver. You get the idea.
The season is now starting again.
Here's an example. Richmond is heading to Oklahoma City to learn about OKC's strategy. Read more.
(Here's an example of how economic development can change a region and the rewards to people who participate. Beginning in 1994, I spent seven years working with the OKC Chamber on the business community's strategy for OKC, and it's rewarding to see other cities now coming to learn what we did.)
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.