Community Economic Development
Division of Extension
Over the last couple of decades, community economic development practitioners and researchers have explored the importance of quality of life on economic activity and population growth. Dr. Amanda Weinstein discusses her work on the importance of quality of life for Midwestern communities and shares what this might mean for a broader set of economic development policy recommendations.
In response to severe flood events, the Village of La Valle, Wisconsin has been awarded federal funding to assist in flood mitigation and recovery. As part of the planning process, a group of local residents formed the La Valle Revitalization Committee. The purpose of the committee is to provide leadership and community representation.
This section explains how market analysis data can be used in the various steps of a business recruitment program.
National Restaurant Association Downtown Restaurants by N. David Milder, DANTH, Inc. March 2022 — Restaurants and culinary experiences can be extremely valuable additions to a downtown area. They serve downtown workers and residents as well as attract visitors to the center of the community. They serve both an economic and social role in the community, […]
Art and Entertainment events can draw people downtown and increase economic activity in a variety of business categories. These events can attract people downtown who normally would not visit.
June 2021 — This topic in Downtown Economics summarizes key points or “takeaways” from the recent webinar titled Shaping Downtown after COVID 19. The well-attended webinar highlighted examples of successful initiatives in four cities: Ithaca, New York, and Appleton, Eau Claire, and La Crosse Wisconsin. The following takeaways are presented without significant editing. You may […]
January 2021 — Small towns and rural communities across Wisconsin have markedly different experiences when it comes to their downtowns and main streets. Over the last decade, some Wisconsin communities have seen their downtown district become a lifeline to a rural renewal, while others have experienced decline defined by an exodus of businesses and disinvestment […]
An Innovative Response to COVID-19 October 2020 — If we have gained anything from the pandemic, one of the most important and hopefully long-lasting is the successful collaboration of public and private sectors. Place makers, community organizers, and city officials have all had to become more creative and think further outside the box than we […]
Restaurants have become a key element in the business mix of downtowns throughout Wisconsin and the U.S. Their growth has helped reestablish downtown as the central social district of our communities and they have been a major employer and a visible example of entrepreneurship at work.
What types of businesses and services are located downtown today? What characteristics describe downtown differences in suburban and independent cities? What downtowns have a dense mix of businesses, employment, and residents? Introduction April 2020 — This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and business and demographic data to examine 259 cities (2010 population of 25,000-75,000) […]
March 2015 — Do downtown storefront improvement projects provide an adequate return to the property owners, outside investors, or public funding entities? If so, what are the returns in both economic and other terms? This article summarizes findings from 24 case studies of storefront improvement projects in Wisconsin over the past 15 years. While not […]
October 2013 — Embracing the internet can help downtown businesses grow and compete. This article summarizes the responses to a survey concerning access to and use of broadband in downtown districts. The sample consists of the 35 responses received from downtown development and Main Street professionals in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio. This was not a […]
