As cities continue to sprawl, connecting workers to jobs remains a critical issue that has lacked a substantive conversation. The Fund for Our Economic Future’s “Geography of Jobs” report raises this important issue and measures its impact in Northeast Ohio.
The Business Improvement District (known as a Special Improvement District in some states) is a community development tool that brings together property/business owners in a defined geography to self-fund improvements to the district’s infrastructure and public spaces. Once the district is established, the BID assesses a fee based on property values to the property owners within the district’s boundaries to pay for these services.
The projects are funded half by crowdfunding from local residents and half by a match from the state of up to $50,000. Eligible projects include anything that focuses on the activation of public spaces and community places, and prior projects have included painting murals, rehabbing vacant spaces, and park improvements. Similar programs also exist in Indiana and Massachusetts.
Complete streets are built with all possible users in mind, including cars, bikes, pedestrians, and transit. Complete streets help to improve a community’s authentic sense of place by ensuring that all users will feel safe and comfortable.
These jobs often do not require a college degree, but some advanced training is necessary. This is particularly true in the advanced manufacturing and healthcare sectors, two major employers and economic drivers in many small legacy cities. Yet existing workforce development programs in some communities are not closely aligned with employers, and the skills taught to program graduates are not what is in most demand.
The program serves as a workforce intermediary for employers, training organizations, and other community partners.
The system seeks to move individuals from poverty to self-sufficiency, reduce social costs related to crime, poor health and welfare, strengthen education attainment and jobs skills, and improve on-the-job productivity.
Placemaking is increasingly being seen as an economic development tool as well as a community development tool. The Michigan Municipal League identified the various economic impacts of placemaking in a recent report:
Walkable spaces are crucial for creating an authentic sense of place. A complete streets policy can help communities design neighborhoods and downtowns that are safe and appealing for pedestrians.
These organizations are typically nonprofits with substantial representation of the private sector on the board of directors or nonprofit partnerships who have private sector members. The organizations seek to leverage the talent, connections, and financial resources of high-level executives to solve economic development challenges at the community-wide level, often through creating and executing strategic plans.