Economic and Community Development

The Center is able to assist local governments in their community and economic development efforts.  Community development is a broad area; however, basic building blocks of community development  include developing local leadership and empowering citizens in the management and planning of their community's affairs. Topics such as goal- setting, community infrastructure, wage and benefit assessment, land-use planning, zoning, solid waste management, and numerous other issues relating to the public interest, all fall under the field of community development. 

Economic development is the mobilization of land, labor, and capital resources for the creation of wealth in a community.  Economic development practices lay the foundation for  improving the quality-of-life in a community by increasing the tax base.  The basic components of economic development include: business expansion and retention, job creation, business attraction, strategic planning, marketing, and utilizing various financing techniques and incentives. 

Examples of Projects

City of Fairfield Route 4 Corridor Market Study – assisted the City of Fairfield in accurately capturing the current business climate of an older business corridor, analyzing the area’s assets and challenges, and developing possible programs to assist the business community.

West Milton Community Improvement Corporation - facilitated goal-setting and action-planning process for Board of Directors that involved preparing an inventory and environmental scan, conducting a visioning and goal-setting process, and prioritizing and developing an implementation strategy for the Action Plan.  Follow the link to see a copy of the West Milton CIC Strategic Action Plan.

Village of Waynesville (Warren County) - as part of the economic development and marketing efforts of the village, the Center coordinated the Village's application for the Ohio Development Association's "Red Carnation" Award and developed an interactive CD-rom package; the Center also assisted the village with a successful application for an ESRI/GIS Small Governments grant to establish a local capacity for mapping and related development efforts.

Delhi Pike Business District Survey - in cooperation with Hamilton County Office of Economic Development; designed, conducted and analyzed survey; findings were valuable to the Delhi Pike Visioning Study Committee, the Zoning Commission; and the Board of Township Trustees in development efforts to revitalize the township's major business corridor.

Village of Union City (Darke County) - provided strategic planning and technical assistance for the Mayor's Quality of Life Initiative.

City of Harrison (Hamilton County) - assisted the city in QBS process for land-use planning consultant.   This was a continuing project assistance to help the City initiate an overall community and economic development plan.  The Center assisted the City in applying GIS to development efforts.

Village of New Richmond (Clermont County) - assisted in application for ESRI-GIS small governments grant for economic and community development efforts. 

Center Community and Economic Development Data Server Project - the CPMRA has continued its efforts in developing world wide web (WWW) accessible community and economic development data as part of its Center Data Server for local governments.  For example, Warren County Economic Development Department received assistance in developing web site for economic development information and data.

Glossary of Development-Related Terms

The Council for Urban Economic Development (CUED) has compiled a listing of various terms that are related to community and economic development: http://www.cued.org/about/glossary.html

Useful Information

OFFICE OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH, Ohio Department of Development - the official source of statistical information on Ohio's people, industry, and economy.  The office is the primary liaison for the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Cooperative Programs for Population Estimates and Projections, and an Official Census Bureau Partner (State Data Center). The recently redesigned web site includes: Ohio Population Studies, Ohio County Profiles, Ohio Economy and Industry Reports, maps, and information related to Census efforts within the state.  Research links are available for data related to Ohio's agriculture, children, crime, economics, education, employment, environment, federal programs, finance health, taxes, technology, and transportation.

OHIO DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION - the ODA is a "resource for education, information, advocacy, and networking opportunities for economic development practitioners" in Ohio.

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL - the IEDC is a resource for economic development information, education, and certification. Their 2003 Annual Conference was held in Cincinnati, OH on September 14-17.

COUNTY PROFILES (includes maps, demographics, contact information, etc.):

Provided by the State of Ohio, Department of Development, Office of Strategic Research:   http://www.odod.state.oh.us/research/

Provided by The Ohio State University's Extension Data Center: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~dataunit/profiles.html

COUNTY WEBSITES (links to counties that have information on the World Wide Web):

Butler County 

Clermont County Department of Community Planning and Development

Darke County Economic Development Office

Greene County Department of Development

Hamilton County Auditor 

Montgomery County Department of Community and Economic Development

Preble County Auditor 

Shelby County Regional Planning Commission

Warren County Office of Economic Development

PROGRAMS and SERVICES (links to information about economic and community development programs available through the State of Ohio and the Federal Government):

The State of Ohio's Department of Development

The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development

The United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development