ED Now

As part of our EDA Atlanta region grant, IEDC created a workforce housing strategies primer for a series of workshops developed in partnership with the Eastern Carolina Council, a nine-county regional economic development district in North Carolina. Learn about missing middle housing and availability, affordability, and funding solutions, and explore case studies from communities of all sizes.

Aaron N. Gruen of Gruen Gruen + Associates shares his 2024 Economic and Real Estate Outlook with ED Now.

The 2023 Survey of Rural Challenges found that rural residents were twice as likely to say that they were optimistic about their community’s future than pessimistic. The survey also uncovered big disconnects between what rural residents want and what services and assistance are commonly offered to them.

IEDC is accepting submissions through May 30 for the 2023 Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards. The Excellence and Leadership in Economic Development Awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs, partnerships, and marketing materials, and the year’s most influential economic development leaders. These prestigious awards honor organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Receiving an award showcases your achievements and impact in the field, and winners are recognized at IEDC's Annual Conference. Please email [email protected] with any questions. Battle Creek (Mich.) Unlimited’s DoubleTree Hotel Renovation ...

The following is a summary of the Disaster Recommendations Through a Pandemic Lens chapter of the updated Leadership in Times of Crisis Toolkit. This toolkit provides economic developers with tactics, resources, and examples to help recover from a disaster and build resilience. It was launched in August 2022 and funded by the Economic Development Administration. Summary In 2021, IEDC received a grant from the Economic Development Administration entitled Recovery and Resilience Strategies for Pandemics: What We’ve Learned from Covid-19. Through this grant, IEDC set out to understand two main priorities: 1) how communities can best respond and adapt to pandemics as conditions and impacts change; and 2) how communities can incorporate ...

IEDC held its Annual Conference last week in Oklahoma City featuring dozens of sessions covering today’s most important economic development topics. Here are a few of the highlights.

IEDC recently held a webinar titled “The Retail Recruitment Opportunity: New Thinking for Successful Attraction in a Changing World.” The speakers discussed how economic developers can best attract new retail establishments to their communities given the latest trends in the industry. Central business district retailers will undergo significant transitions in coming years alongside changes in work culture and the generational makeup of urban areas, according to Michael Berne, president of MJB consulting in New York City. Berne said that the shift to remote work accelerated an existing trend of millennials moving to the suburbs, softening demand for many retailers in city centers. Berne characterized the present moment as a ...

IEDC’s recently released white paper What We’ve Learned From Covid-19 contains best practices for EDOs looking to build their resilience to pandemics and other disasters. The paper is one component of a larger project funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the culmination of 18 months tracking the pandemic responses of eight communities.