ENTIRE SUMMER 2021 ISSUE


Does Your City Have Reputational Equity? A Checklist for Local Governments

by James H. Johnson, Jr. and Jeanne Milliken Bonds
Cities increasingly will have to demonstrate a strong commitment to reputational equity to remain an attractive places to live, work, play, and do business given the racially and ethnically disparate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent senseless killings of unarmed African Americans that spawned a nationwide protest movement.

REACH – Improving the Odds of Success for Small and Minority-Owned Construction Firms in Omaha: Leveraging Resources across the Community to Successfully Execute a Vision

by Winsley Durand III
REACH, a program of the Greater Omaha Chamber launched in July 2015 in response to institutional construction opportunities for small and minority construction firms in Omaha. This case study outlines the impacts of REACH as a capacity-building program focused on increasing the number of small contractors and their ability to engage in substantial work. REACH is a 2020 IEDC Gold Award recipient for Equity & Inclusion programming.

Big Messaging for Small Towns: Community Marketing Pays Off in Mandan, North Dakota

by Ellen Huber, CEcD
A decade of small but consistent investments by this city's public and private sectors in a joint marketing program is paying dividends in the form of a positive community image linked to business development, resident and workforce attraction, and tourism. The collaborative program leverages in-kind contributions of talent and services to multiply results.

The New Downtown in Lubbock, Texas: Consistent Strategic Thinking Spurs a Re-birth in Downtown

by Jorge Quirino
This article discusses the strategies Lubbock, Texas has taken in the last 20 years in its efforts to revitalize downtown and looks at the results the city has seen and the momentum that continues to grow. Also discussed is how the city coordinated efforts to help it's businesses and workforce during the pandemic.

The Need for Smart City Frameworks: Adopting New Technologies and
Leveraging Data Analysis Enable Cities to Get Ahead

by Jaxson Khan and Olivia Labonté
This article unpacks how smart cities are often more efficient, sustainable, and livable due to their adoption of new technologies and leveraging data. This analysis primarily engages qualitative findings from interviews with smart city leads of four mak=jor Western cities: Dublin, Ireland; San Jose, US; Toronto, Canada; and Darwin, Australia.

Determining If Your Town, Downtown, or Main Street Tourist Industry Needs a Program to Become More Sustainable: Some Diagnostic Questions

by N. David Milder
Many downtown and Main Street leaders in the US see tourism as a major engine for economic growth, However, around the world, serious concerns have emerged about heavy tourist flows harming the environment and eroding the charm, attractiveness, social cohesion, and well-being of local communities. The response to these concerns has been the implementation of sustainable tourism plans.