Local Economic Development Strategic Planning: A Proposal to Develop Community Self-Help Training Materials

Rural and small town economies suffer from a lack of economic diversification, and from small size and isolation. At the same time, small communities often need help in organizing regionally based and locally driven comprehensive programs for economic development. In response to the apparent need for training assistance, the Center for Applied Urban Research (CAUR) and the Department of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) developed during the past two years a strategic planning approach for use by small towns. Altogether, the process has been successfully used in projects involving twelve communities in Nebraska. This proposal from CAUR and the National League of Cities (NLC) requests funding to develop, produce, and disseminate prepackaged tools and training materials so that the process developed at UNO can be marketed and delivered to communities throughout the country by the National League of Cities at a reduced cost and by a wider network of trainers than is currently the case. Under the proposed project, the Center for Applied Urban Research would develop the strategic planning materials, while the National League of Cities would produce and market them. A total of [fill in amount] is requested. Of this amount, $85,250 would be used by the Center for Applied Urban Research in developing the videos and guidebook series to support strategic planning for community economic development. The National League of Cities would use the remaining money to produce the videos and to edit, typeset, layout, and print the guidebooks. NLC would be the funding recipient and subcontract with the Center for Applied Urban Research