October 2017 — Economists have long known that entrepreneurship in the form of business start-ups is vital to a vibrant and strong economy (Conroy and Deller, 2015). Wisconsin, however, tends to compare unfavorably to other states in terms of entrepreneurship. The Kauffman Foundation has been monitoring entrepreneurial activity for a number of years and their […]
August 2017 — Electronic component manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) recently announced its intention to build a $10 billion manufacturing campus. As the facility initially expects to employ 3,000 workers, with the potential to expand up to 13,000 employees, its magnitude generates both intense excitement and uncertainty. For instance, a number of questions surround the […]
July 2017 — Between the end of WWII and the 1970s, a growing middle class narrowed the income gap. But over the past 30 years, economists have become increasingly aware of and concerned about rising income inequality. The causes and consequences of this trend have been the focus of countless academic studies, but rising income […]
July 2017 — Assisted by the Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort, on May 4, 2017, a group of 21 planning and design professionals found their way to Reedsburg, Wisconsin. These planning and design professionals worked with community members to help the community discover their shared vision for the future.
December 2015 — The gut reaction most civic leaders have to a loss of business or population is to focus on growth strategies. It may be a better strategy to first focus on resilience rather than growth strategies. Resilience is how we maintain vitality in the face of adversity such as population decline, loss of […]
November 2015 — On November 5, 2015, a group of 20 volunteers found their way to Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin to donate their time and expertise in hopes of helping the community discover their shared vision for the future. Assisted by the Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort, community members and volunteers came together to identify […]
September 2015 — Various words are commonly used to describe successful downtown revitalization efforts. Three words that are often used, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, are: Vitality – the capacity to live and develop Vibrancy – having or showing great life, activity, and energy Resiliency – the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful […]
(Image Source: Caique Morais / Unsplash) June 2015 — The University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality recently studied the retail market of 13 Greater Minnesota cities where a Walmart Supercenter opened between 2000 and 2008. Their research explores which types of retail and consumer services businesses have coexisted with the retail giant, as identified […]
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 […]
May 2014 — On April 10 -13, 2014, a team of nineteen volunteer planners, design professionals, and community development educators volunteered their time and expertise to assist the community of Grantsburg, Wisconsin in discovering their vision for the future. This was a pilot program of the Community Vitality & Placemaking Signature Effort and completed in […]
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 […]
August 2013 — Downtown districts in Wisconsin’s small cities and villages have significantly different demographic and economic characteristics from those in larger cities. These differences can help us understand their particular issues and opportunities for downtown revitalization. This article profiles small town downtowns from the perspective of who lives downtown, who works there, and what […]
