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Planning Local Economic Development
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Planning Local Economic Development
Theory and Practice

Sixth Edition
  • Nancey Green Leigh - Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
  • Edward J. Blakely - The University of Sydney, Australia, University of Southern California, USA, New School University, New York, USA, University of California, Berkeley, USA
December 2016 | 536 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Written by authors with years of academic, regional, and city planning experience, this classic text has laid the foundation for practitioners and academics working in planning and policy development for generations. With deeper coverage of sustainability and resiliency, the new Sixth Edition explores the theories of local economic development while addressing the issues and opportunities faced by cities, towns, and local entities in crafting their economic destinies within the global economy. Nancey Green Leigh and Edward J. Blakely provide a thoroughly up-to-date exploration of planning processes, analytical techniques and data, and locality, business, and human resource development, as well as advanced technology and sustainable economic development strategies.
 
Chapter 1 The Enduring Argument for Local Economic Development Planning
Local Economic Development Planning in the Face of Globalization

 
The Influence of Outsourcing and Insourcing

 
People and Places Left Out of the New Economy

 
The Future of Local Economic Development Planning

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 2 The Influence of National and State Policies on Local Economic Development
Three Approaches to National Economic Policy

 
Monetary and Tax Policy

 
Trade Policy

 
Welfare to Workfare Policy

 
Health Care Policy

 
Employment Policy

 
National Policy Targeting Local Economic Development

 
Coordination of Local and National Development Efforts

 
State Economic Development Approaches

 
Challenges and Opportunities Inherent in Economic Development Policy Making

 
Conclusion

 
Notes

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 3 Concepts and Theory of Local Economic Development
Defining Local Economic Development

 
Theories of Growth and Development

 
Translating Theory Into Practice

 
Theories, Models, and Fads In Local Economic Development Planning

 
The Continued Evolution of Economic Development Theory Into Local Practice

 
Conclusion

 
Notes

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 4 The Local Economic Development Profession and Professionals
The Role of the Economic Development Practitioner

 
The Task Functions

 
The Clients

 
The Professional Roles

 
Economic Development Careers

 
Summary and Conclusion

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 5 The Local Economic Development Planning Process
Preliminary Tasks of Local Economic Development Planning

 
The Six Phases of Planning

 
Managing Planning Resources in the Community

 
Selecting a Local Economic Development Role

 
Typology of Planning Approaches

 
Features of Local Economic Development Planning

 
Conclusion

 
Putting It All Together: Creating a Local Economic Development Strategy (Part I)

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 6 Introduction to Analytical Methods for Local Economic Development Planning
Information and Analytical Requirements for Local Economic Development Planning

 
Understanding an Economy’s Strengths and Weaknesses

 
The Economic Profile

 
Building On Comparisons

 
Gathering Available Descriptive Data

 
Occupational Data

 
Employer Reports

 
Examining Analytical Techniques

 
Principles of Economic Projections

 
How Do Changes Multiply Through the Economy?

 
Identifying Industrial Clusters: The Most Important Parts of the Local Economy

 
Conclusion

 
Putting It All Together: Creating a Local Economic Development Strategy (Part II)

 
Notes

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 7 Local Economic Development Strategy
The Goals of Local Economic Development

 
Prerequisites for Successful Strategy Formulation

 
Selecting Strategic Options

 
Economic Development Plans Within the Context of Comprehensive Plans

 
Common Traps In Strategy Formulation

 
Assembling the Elements of a Strategy

 
Projects from Strategies

 
Plan Financing and Implementation

 
Conclusion

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 8 Locality Development
The Link Between Economic Development and Urban Design

 
Landbanking and Community Land Trusts

 
Physical Infrastructure Development on Industrial and Commercial Land

 
Speculative Buildings

 
Zoning Regulations

 
Business Improvement Districts

 
Regulatory Improvement Through Simplification

 
Townscaping

 
Shopsteading

 
Housing and Neighborhood Improvement

 
Household Services

 
Community Services

 
Conclusion

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 9 Business Development
Creating a Good Business Climate

 
Entrepreneur Development and Economic Gardening

 
One-Stop Business Assistance Centers

 
Start-Up and Venture Financing Companies and Development Banks

 
Small Business Development Centers

 
Microenterprise

 
Women’s Enterprises

 
Promotion and Tourism Programs

 
Research and Development

 
Enterprise Zones

 
Incentivizing or Subsidizing Local Economic Development?

 
Conclusion

 
Notes

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 10 Human Resource Development
Workforce Development

 
Realities of an Undertrained Workforce

 
Public Role in Workforce Development

 
Goals of Human Resource Programs

 
Matching Human Resource Programs and Economic Development Objectives

 
Education as the Foundation of Human Resource Development

 
Implementation of a Human Resource Development Strategy

 
Conclusion

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 11 Community Economic Development
Community Development Corporations

 
Community Cooperatives

 
Local Enterprise Agencies

 
Employee/Worker Ownership

 
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development

 
Targeting and Marketing Neighborhood/Community Assets

 
Conclusion

 
References and Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 12 Building the Implementation Plan
Public–Private Partnerships

 
Marketing Community

 
Project Financing

 
Assessing Project Viability

 
Sustainability Analysis

 
Detailed Feasibility Analysis

 
Cash Flow Analysis

 
Project Sustainability

 
Organizational Design

 
Monitoring And Evaluation Program

 
Conclusion

 
Note

 
References And Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 13 Institutional Approaches to Local Economic Development
Organizational Requirements For Local Development

 
Public–Private Partnerships

 
The Economic Development Specialist

 
Institutional Approaches To Local Economic Development

 
A Typology Of Development Organizations

 
Conclusion

 
References And Suggested Readings

 
 
Chapter 14 Local Economic Development Planning’s Response to A Global Economy and Climate-Challenged Planet
Finding Solutions Through Innovation and Technology

 
The Technology Development Process

 
Fostering The Advanced-Technology Community

 
Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Technology

 
Resiliency in Local Economic Development

 
Local Economic Development Planning for Resiliency

 
Conclusion: The Future of Local Economic Development Planning

 
Notes

 
References and Suggested Readings

 

“Leigh and Blakely’s Planning Local Economic Development is the gold standard for texts in local economic development.  The book provides excellent breadth and depth of conceptual and analytical frameworks in the field of economic development while also integrating applied case materials.  My students appreciate the accessible writing style and the applied nature of the book, which generates class discussion of key concepts.”

Russell Mills
Bowling Green State University

“Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice is the authoritative and comprehensive text for students of economic development planning and policy. The authors, leading scholars of the urban planning field, present an engaging and lively introduction to the field. The book strikes a perfect balance between theory and practice. Highly recommended.”

Thomas Vicino
Northeastern University

“Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice is one of the most functional textbooks on the market. The key issues are covered in easy to read chapters. There is enough information to inform the students without overwhelming them. Students and faculty will both want to make this part of their permanent library.”

Michael Collins
Liberty University

“Nancey Green Leigh and Edward Blakely’s Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice is an engaging text.  I’ve used this book over the years both as a student and as a professor.  Each edition gets stronger and adds additional value to understanding a topic as complex as local economic development.”

Marcus Mauldin
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

“Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice provides readers with a hands-on approach to learning economic development.  In as much as it provides the theoretical basis for working in the field, it also presents the challenges associated with the everyday economic, social, and political realities of planning local economic development.” 

Brent Hales
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

There were numerous technical errors throughout the test. I looks like during the new edition process, lots of new errors were introduced. It created a lot of confusion before I realized what the problems were.

Dr David Swindell
School Of Public Affairs, Arizona State University
November 14, 2022
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Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • New section in the chapter on Business Development on “Incentivizing or Subsidizing Economic Development?”
  • Increased focus on practice of local economic development outside the U.S.
  • New and revised case studies, now named “Economic Developments” and “PLED Problem Solving,” which broaden the geographic and topical focus of local economic development planning.
  • Updated statistics and discussion of economic development challenges for marginalized groups and regions, including new educational and employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated populations.
  • Updated discussion on national policies that affect local economies, such as health care mandates and federal expenditures on local economic development.
  • National and international examples of regulations on financial subsidies used primarily for business attraction and expansion.
  • Examples of techniques to maintain or recover large- or small-scale local manufacturing.
KEY FEATURES:
  • Addresses the challenges to and next steps for local economic development planning since the weak and uneven recovery following the Great Recession.
  • Focuses on sustainability and resiliency tactics for local economic development success such as inner city revitalization, LEED neighborhood design, as well as innovative planning strategies for climate change adaptation.
  • Emphasizes bridging the gap between community and economic development through data-driven needs assessments, public-private partnerships, and community engagement.
  • Expands on training intermediaries as a catalytic force for local economic development.
  • Explores inner-city revitalization strategies that may lead to gentrification and displacement of existing residents.

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