Economic Development

Economic Development is a crucial focus for local and state government agencies committed to fostering job creation, attracting investments, and improving community prosperity. Governments can stimulate economic activity and enhance regional competitiveness by implementing strategies that support business growth, infrastructure development, and workforce training. This directory provides articles on economic development alongside related topics like Workforce Development, which examines initiatives to enhance the skills and employability of the local labor force.

The project illustrates a rising industry trend of municipalities playing a greater role in funding repairs and upgrades to local infrastructure to meet the needs of their constituents and the local economy.
Through this series of personal portraits and interviews, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has created a window into the lives of America’s most vulnerable populations.
Rural residents experience mental disorders and drug addiction just as much as their urban counterparts, and their need for mental health services is similar. But rural suicide rates are greater than urban ones, and the gap has grown steadily since 1999.
With the recent slide in energy prices, fuel-rich states like Wyoming and Alaska are now facing the same sort of budget crises that had hit the rest of the nation
Republican lawmakers began circulating a bill Monday that would ease the regulatory path for development on bodies of water, saying the changes would streamline state regulations and boost the economy
The state Senate narrowly approved lucrative tax breaks designed to guarantee that a major Internet data center developer chooses Michigan as the site of its first mega-campus in the eastern half of the U.S
The Strategy provides an overview of how to develop the industries of the future and harness innovation to help address the most important challenges
Only 1,200 people live in Kansas’ smallest county, where using irrigation to quench thirsty crops is no longer an option for many because the water source underneath this flat, arid prairie is nearly exhausted due to decades of overuse
Many cities are working to provide enough public transportation options for low- and middle-income communities to help alleviate the strains associated with the growing wealth gap
The launch of the TechHire initiative includes a campaign to work with communities to get more Americans rapidly trained for well-paying technology jobs
A committee that spent months looking for ways to reduce Nebraska’s reliance on property taxes to pay for schools finished its final work session Monday with plenty of ideas but no clear-cut answers
Thriving farms are being uprooted thanks to hordes of people moving back downtown to live, which is turning green spaces into prime real estate
Some municipalities are using visual data solutions to address social concerns, others are improving internal operations and delivery of services
The city announced that it will use more than $1 million in grants from the Ruth Mott Foundation to help improve the quality of life for north Flint residents
A group of Idaho lawmakers are narrowing down recommendations on how to improve oversight on boards that helped lure major companies to the state
Public transportation is designed to do more than improve traffic flow. It also provides social and economic benefits
Leading digital cities are developing mature infrastructure that enables leaders to experiment with new technology projects to improve the lives of citizens
Energy experts argue businesses and organizations can enjoy economic growth after shifting to renewable, efficient energy sources
Portland’s popularity has had a surprising effect: Those who helped make it cool can’t afford to live here anymore