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State energy offices (SEOs) play a vital role in fostering local energy entrepreneurship and innovation through targeted programs and policies. It's important for SEOs to understand the current local energy ecosystem—including existing businesses, workforce capabilities, research institutions, funding sources, community partnerships, and market dynamics—to enable this cohesion to thrive.

As we emerge from the pandemic, cities are entering a period of deep economic uncertainty and adjustment. Over the past two years, low-income neighborhoods have experienced disproportionate health impacts, disparities in small business aid distribution, and inadequate schooling and digital access for students. Unless major structural changes are made at all levels of government and across sectors, we run the risk of a lost decade in which racial wealth disparities are greater and neighborhoods are worse off.

Michael Harris, CEcD, EDP, executive director of New Haven (Conn.) Innovation Collaborative, is part of the first cohort of certified Entrepreneurship Development Professionals. IEDC’s EDP credential is designed to build capacity for those supporting entrepreneurship in their communities, and demonstrates the skills and expertise to lead communities through entrepreneurship-led economic development (ELED). Harris has headed the New Haven Innovation Collaborative since 2018. NHIC catalyzes growth in technology and fosters entrepreneurship by building a collaborative work and research environment. Anchored by Yale University, Southern Connecticut State University, and the University of New Haven, the city has a strong talent pool in ...

Parts 1 and 2 of this series focused on changes to the film and television industry as COVID-19 forced theater closures, increased streaming popularity, and changed the way we all view live entertainment. Outside of that, offices are shrinking due to increased remote work, commercial districts are withering on account of e-commerce growth, and local leaders are left to find uses for the empty space. A unique, transitional opportunity to put entertainment at center stage presents itself as our cities evolve post-pandemic. Indoor and outdoor alternatives Some have the idea that traditional cinemas are dead, so it is important to examine other options that use open space outside of the standard movie theater model. For larger cities that ...

By Robin Gloss, IEDC intern The latest webinar in IEDC’s Take Action Against Racism in Economic Development series highlighted the important role that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) play in supporting their students and the communities where they are located. The webinar featured professors and administrators from four of the country’s 101 HBCUs. Most HBCUs were established between 1865 and 1900 with the goal of providing education to Black Americans who could not attend predominantly white institutions. These colleges and universities continue to provide unique educational opportunities for Black, low-income, and first-generation college students, and many are also working to expand and strengthen ...

By Daniela Leon, IEDC intern In working toward national economic recovery, key stakeholders in cities must think beyond conventional solutions. During IEDC’s virtual Annual Conference this month, one set of professionals offered insights on the economic development opportunities behind advancing partnerships with colleges and universities. In a session titled Anchors of Stability, Partners in Growth: Colleges and Universities as a Critical Asset, Joel Simon, managing director at Burning Glass Technologies, Shalin Jyotishi, senior analyst of education and labor at New America, and Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, explained how these unique partners can support business attraction, ...

Only a robust national recovery strategy can undo the damage the COVID-19 crisis has done to the creative economy, according to a Brookings report by Richard Florida and Michael Seman. Creative industries in the United States lost an estimated 2.7 million jobs and more than $150 billion in sales of goods and services from April through July of this year, representing nearly a third of all jobs in those industries and 9 percent of annual sales. The visual and performing arts are the hardest hit, with estimated losses of almost 1.4 million jobs and $42.5 billion in sales, which represent half of all jobs in the arts and more than a quarter of all lost sales nationwide. "Dance's economic viability is inextricably entwined with the larger ...

Anchor institutions are an often under-tapped resource that can play a significant role in cultivating an inclusive small business ecosystem. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, in partnership with Forward Cities, has released a report exploring how anchor institutions are leveraging their unique assets and place in their communities to foster an environment in which small businesses, especially woman and minority-owned ones, can grow and thrive.