Small Town Economic Development: Reports on Growth Strategies in Practice

We tend to associate small town economic development with the decline of the rural United States--empty houses, shuttered shops and rusting factories. A common diagnosis of sluggish small town recovery is their lack of lifestyle amenities that attract new residents and businesses. Yet many small towns have shown progress and potential in recent years. This collection of recent articles by experts presents stories of small-town America's struggle and describes innovations and practices behind successful revivals.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface Part I. The State of Small Towns  1. Towns in the Age of Megacities (Tommy Engram)  2. Where Is America Growing? delete(Smart Growth America)  3. City Versus Suburban Growth in Small Metro Areas (Smart Growth America) 11  4. Pushing for Inclusive Economic Development (Emily Robbins)  5. The State of America’s Cities (Trevor Langan)  6. Strengthening the Rural Economy (Council of Economic Advisers)  7. Growing New Businesses in Rural America (Council of Economic Advisers)  8. The Challenges of a Small Town (Erin Mullenix)  9. Economic Development in Hard Times (International City/County delete delete deleteManagement Association) Part II. Bright Ideas, Good Practices A. Leadership and Strategy 10. The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development delete (Christiana McFarland and Katie Seeger) 11. All Economies Are Local (Christopher Robbins) 12. Defining Small Towns for Economic Development (Jonathan Rosenthal) 13. The Secrets of Successful Communities (Edward T. McMahon) 14. Big Ideas for Small Cities (National League of Cities) 15. Small Towns, Big Ideas (Will Lambe) 16. Strategies for Small Town Success (Joe A. Sumners) 17. Using Networks for Economic Development (Camille Cates Barnett and Oscar Rodríguez) 18. State-of-the-Art Measures in Economic Development delete(David Ammons and Jonathan Morgan) B. Branding and Marketing 19. Jump-Starting a ­Small-Community Economy delete(Randall Wheeler) 20. Ten Tips for Branding Your Small Town (Thomas Ford) 21. Are Municipal Branding Campaigns Worth the Price? delete(Ryan Holeywell) 22. How to Market a Small Town delete(Becky McCray) 23. Seven Elements of Effective Community Marketing delete(John Gann, Jr.) C. Capital and Financing 24. Creation, Implementation and Evaluation of Tax Increment Financing Government Finance Officers Association 25. Community Improvement District to the Rescue (Ty Lasher, Michelle Meyer and Alison McKenney Brown) 26. State Governments: The Latest Venture Capitalists delete(Russell Nichols) 27. Thinking Differently About Development delete(Joe Minicozzi )115 D. Infrastructure 28. The Search for ­Infrastructure-Driven Transformation delete(William Fulton) 29. Revving Up the Rails delete(Josh Goodman) 30. Bridge to Somewhere delete(Adam Regn Arvidson) 31. Romancing the Factory delete(William Fulton) 32. Historic Train Depot Breathing New Life into One Small Town (Jill FitzSimmons) E. Brownfields 33. Creating a Land Boom delete(William Fulton) 34. A Brownfields Bonanza delete(Howard Lalli) 35. Attracting Development to Brownfields Sites delete(Catherine Finneran) F. Downtown 36. Chelsea’s Path to a Vibrant Downtown delete(Brett Common) 37. Top Ten Myths of Downtown Planning delete(Philip Walker) 38. Revitalizing America’s Downtowns During This Century delete(Roger L. Kemp) 39. Debunking Time: 12 Myths About Downtown delete(Mark Brodeur) G. Main Street 40. Main Street Facelift delete(Tracy Brown and Scott Lazenby 41. Main Street Pursuits delete(Patricia Mitchell and Charles Abernathy) H. Retail 42. City-Developer Relations delete(Christiana McFarland) 43. The Retail Chase delete(Christopher Swope) I. Tourism 44. Tourism Impacts Economic Development delete(David Robinson) 45. Tourism in the City of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee delete(Madlyn M. Bonimy) 46. Want Tourists in Your Town? Brand It, and They Will Come (J. Michael Lillich) J. Arts 47. Work of Arts delete(Zach Patton) 48. Assets Building in a Small Appalachian City delete(William Hatcher and Matt Oyer) K. Technology 49. Can Green Technology Propel Economic Development? (Chad Vander Veen) 50. Metro ­Wi-Fi Networks delete(Bert Williams) 51. Mississippi Hotspot delete(Justin Fritscher) L. Food 52. The Supermarket as a Neighborhood Building Block delete(Mark Hinshaw and Brian Vanneman) 53. Fresh Fight delete(Zach Patton) M. Creative Space 54. Creating Jobs Over Coffee delete(Kristen Carney) 55. Reimagining a Mill Community delete(David E. Versel) N. Transportation 56. Bike Share Isn’t Just for Big Cities delete(Daniel C. Vock) 57. Some in D.C. Think Livability Is Not a Small Town Value delete(Steve Davis) O. Multigenerational 58. Can Millennials Revive the American City? delete(Minch Lewis) 59. Young Professionals Return Home, and Stay delete(William Fulton) 60. Building Intergenerational Communities delete(Sue Kelley and Chris Swartz) 61. Retirees: A New Economic Development Strategy delete(Christen Smith) Part III. Caveats and the Future 62. Do Cities Really Want Economic Development? delete(Aaron M. Renn) 63. The Panacea Patrol delete(William Fulton) 64. Bordeaux vs. Budweiser delete(Rob Gurwitt) 65. As Suburbs Shift, Funding Fights Loom delete(Jenni Bergal) 66. When Bad Things Happen to Good Plans delete(Joseph McElroy) 67. Examining Economic Development Dollars delete(Mike Maciag) 68. The Myths of Municipal Mergers delete(Aaron M. Renn) 69. Economic Development in the 1099 Economy delete(William Fulton) Appendices  I. Top 50 Best Small Towns, 2016 delete(Livability)  II. Community-Based Economic Development Approach delete(International City/County Management Association) III. Communicating Capital Improvement Strategies (Government Finance Officers Association) IV. Glossary of Economic Development Practices delete(Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III and Jonathan Rosenthal About the Editors and Contributors Index

About the Author :
Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III, Ph.D., is vice provost for global affairs as well as chair and Mayor George Christopher Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University. He founded GGU’s law enforcement and security program and is a San Francisco advocate for the safety and security of Filipino American kids and their families. Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science. Jonathan Rosenthal, MPA, AICP, has more than 35 years of experience in economic development serving Syracuse and Onondaga counties as well as the cities of Des Moines, New Haven, and Bristol. He has built and filled business parks and assisted hundreds of businesses that have created thousands of good jobs.

Review :
“A valuable resource offering proven innovative ideas and solutions. Small town leaders...add this comprehensive work to your toolbox.”—Debbie McKillop, Martinez City Council, California; “A useful and practical compendium of examples and lessons lessons learned from across the country on successfully implementing economic development in America’s small towns.”—Carl Amento, Executive Director, South Central Regional Council of Governments, former Mayor of the Town of Hamden, Connecticut; “Gonzalez, Kemp, and Rosenthal present insightful and pragmatic approaches for small town officials and citizens seeking to enhance economic development in their communities.”—Randall Margo, PhD, former Assistant County Administrator for Yuba, California; “Gonzalez, Kemp, and Rosenthal offer a clear and concise reference tool that experienced professionals and emerging leaders may use to guide their economic development programming.”—Michael Moore, President and CEO, Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District.