Land Use and Economic Development in Rural Areas | David E Wish

Land Use and Economic Development in Rural Areas

David E Wish

Session Overview

• Defining the relationship between land use and economic development • Activity: Regional Assets and Land Use • Land use approaches that support economic development • Tools and activity to shape land use in your region • Activity: Synthesis and Next Steps • Wrap-up discussion

HOW DO THEY RELATE?

LAND USE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

It’s a Changing World: Trends Facing Rural Areas • Shifting rural economies • Changes to the landscape • Demographic challenges • Fiscal challenges

• Other challenges

Shifting Rural Economies

• National and international economies have changed • Many traditional rural economic activities are no longer possible • Industrial recruitment has not proved successful in many places • Many rural regions are looking for new, diversified, and “homegrown” economic opportunities

Changes to the Landscape

• Fewer farms and fewer farmers • Conversion of working and natural land to development • Rapid growth at metropolitan edges • More dispersed development • Declining downtowns, main streets, and traditional community centers

Demographic Changes

• Rapid population growth in some areas, shrinking populations in others • Aging populations • Outflow of young people

Fiscal Challenges • Demands for infrastructure and services from new growth and spread-out development • Declining revenues

• Stretched municipal and county budgets and challenges meeting local needs

Other Challenges

• Longer and costlier commutes • Less access to schools, health care facilities, shopping, and other amenities and services • Limited mobility for seniors, low-income residents, and others who do not drive or own cars • Health challenges

A Response to Rural Trends: Creating High-Quality Places Vibrant, high-amenity, walkable places help to:

•Retain young people •Attract knowledge workers and entrepreneurs •Attract and retain businesses that need skilled labor •Create and grow new businesses •Attract tourism

For High-Quality Places, Location Matters Development within the existing community and near other development:

•Capitalizes on existing historic and cultural assets •Creates mixed-use neighborhoods •Offers transportation choices •Creates vibrancy and activity •Adds up to more than the sum of its parts by serving as a catalyst for more development, drawing more people and economic activity •Meets current and future market demand

For High-Quality Places, Location Matters (continued) Development disconnected from existing places:

• Does not capitalize on and strengthen the unique assets of the region • Is usually single-use (i.e., an industrial park or residential subdivision) • Limits transportation choices • Does not meet future market demand • Does not increase the region’s competitive advantage

How are High-Quality Places Created?

• Shaping land use to support regional economic development goals

• Integrating land use into regional economic development plans

How Land Use and Development are Shaped The places that we value in our communities do not just happen. They are shaped by a variety of factors:

Public policies and investments Regulations Private landowner decisions Economic trends

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ACTIVITY: REGIONAL ASSETS AND LAND USE

Small Group Work

Brainstorm how these land use and development-related trends positively or negatively impact your regional assets (Refer to regional asset list from Module 7)

Large Group Discussion Small group reports •How are land use and development-related trends impacting ONE asset you discussed?

Group discussion

•Other thoughts on land use and development-related trends impacting regional assets?

•What are land use strategies that could be used to protect and strengthen our assets?

LAND USE APPROACHES THAT SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Rural Smart Growth is Development that Provides:

• A strong, more resilient economy • Choices for where to live and how to get around • A healthier place to live • Opportunities to protect the things people love about the place where they live

Three Goals to Maintain Rural Character and Enhance Economic Opportunity

1. Support the Rural Landscape 2. Help Existing Places Thrive 3. Create Great New Places

Goal #1: Support the Rural Landscape

Create an economic climate that enhances the viability of working lands and conserves natural lands.

Strategies to Support the Rural Landscape • Ensure the viability of the resource economy in the region • Cultivate economic development strategies that rely on traditional rural landscapes • Promote rural products in urban areas and support rural-urban links

• Link rural land preservation strategies to great neighborhoods

Goal #2: Help Existing Places Thrive

Take care of existing assets and investments, such as downtowns, infrastructure, and places the community values

Strategies to Help Existing Places Thrive • Invest public and private funds in existing places • Encourage private sector investment • Build on past community investments

• Foster economic development in existing downtowns

Goal #3: Create Great New Places

Build vibrant, enduring neighborhoods and communities that people, especially young people, don’t want to leave.

Strategies to Create Great New Places

Reform policies to make it easy for developers to build compact, walkable, mixed-use places

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Recognize and reward developers that build great places using smart growth approaches, including green building strategies

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Update strategic and policy documents to accommodate new growth through compact and contiguous development

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Strategy Name

Placeholder for Selected Tool #4 •Replace this slide with one tool from the menu of tools

Group Discussion • Has your community/region used this tool?

• What are some of the potential challenges and opportunities with using the tool in your community or region?

Thank You