Economic Gardening Canada
www.economicgardening.ca/ - CachedWhat is Economic Gardening? Economic Gardening refers to community economic ...These key statistics far outpaced those of any other center in the USA, ...Economic Gardening Canada resources
www.economicgardening.ca/resources.htm - CachedPrivate and Free for Canadian Tax Professionals. Littleton Colorado Where ...Supporting Economic Gardening through GIS - Spatial Roundtable
www.spatialroundtable.com/post.cfm?entry...economic-gardening... - CachedHopefully as more Canadian communities embrace Economic Gardening and the use of GIS, the data will improve. The usability of the US BA online application ...'Economic gardening' helps B.C. SMBs revive economy
www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=62635 - CachedMay 26, 2011 – IT Business.ca Mobile IT Business Canada blogs. IT Business ... is helping them by providing free market data research using mapping technology. ... Through theEconomic Gardening initiative of the government funded ...Community Futures - Economic Gardening Home
www.cfokanagan.com/page.asp?PageID=109 - CachedEconomic Gardening Home. Community Futures wins the ESRI Canada. "Innovation in the Field of Geographic Information Systems 2011" Award ...- [PDF]
Economic Gardening Second Meeting of the Steering Committee To be...
www.economicgardeningcanada.com/assets/april%2019th%20agenda.pdfFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Apr 19, 2011 – Economic Gardening. Second Meeting of the Steering Committee ...business in Canada and the US. It included sales data, employee numbers, ...
Showing posts with label Economic Development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economic Development. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Selected Economic Gardening Links for Canada
Selected Economic Gardening Links
Just a quick scan of Economic Gardening. The city of Litteton, CO, still comes up at the top of the search.
Economic Gardening
www.littletongov.org/bia/economicgardening/ - CachedJun 2, 2006 – PDF file. GLYI Blueprint Program Data and Outcomes (148k) ... PDF file. Free and Low-Cost Resources for Economic Gardening (120k) ...Economic Gardening
growinglocaleconomies.com/economic_gardening - CachedThis ICMA report describes the key elements of an economic gardening program, provides overall implementation considerations, examines the features of ...Economic Gardening - Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission...
www.orlandoedc.com/articles/economic-gardening.shtml - CachedWhen it comes to the benefits of Economic Gardening, Florida economic development executives considered the statistics. Companies that were in the ...Center for Economic Vitality: Economic Gardening in Washington state
www.cevforbusiness.com/Economic-Gardening/FAQs/37.aspx - CachedFAQs about economic gardening at the Center for Economic Vitality. ... the counseling and assistance you provide with secondary market research and data. ...Florida Economic Gardening Institute / GrowFL - Statistics - LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/company/...economic-gardening.../statistics - CachedView key statistics about University of Central Florida - Florida Economic Gardening Institute / GrowFL, including where University of Central Florida ...Economic Gardening and Propelling a New Economic Direction for ...
www.crainsdetroit.com/.../c?...uid...statistics... - CachedMar 10, 2011 – Posts tagged as statistics. Entrepreneurship Score Card Hints at Economic Recovery ... Economic gardening and the governor's tax/budget plan ...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A return to the land, and fresh food, in the backyards of the Delta | Grist
A return to the land, and fresh food, in the backyards of the Delta | Grist
Great simple framework, mostly low tech and high impact.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Cabarrus County forms up a Food Council http://www.cabarruscounty.us/News/2010/May/May28_FoodCouncil.html
Lots of good models showing up with solid effect. Let's get through the secondary research before we all go grant crazy for primary research. Google, not grants!
Another addition: http://www.ethicurean.com/2010/06/10/usda-looks-at-local/ For USDA discussion of "what is local food"
Shout out to http://www.localdirt.com/ for excellent newsflow @localdirt
Another addition: http://www.ethicurean.com/2010/06/10/usda-looks-at-local/ For USDA discussion of "what is local food"
Shout out to http://www.localdirt.com/ for excellent newsflow @localdirt
Monday, May 10, 2010
Reporting from Sankalp 2010 | Blog | NextBillion.net | Development through Enterprise
Reporting from Sankalp 2010 | Blog | NextBillion.net | Development through Enterprise: "In sum, panelists concluded that the role of government is to create an enabling legal, regulatory, and policy environments, which include the removal of market distortions stemming from preferential government policies or excessive regulations."
Monday, April 05, 2010
On Job Creation—Local Fruits and Vegetables vs. Corn and Soybeans | CommonDreams.org
Informative writing on regional economics (upper midwest) and the driving potential of local production.
From CommonDreams.org's blog:
Some key findings on the economic impacts on the region as a whole:The full study new study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
- Increased fruit and vegetable production in the six states could mean $882 million in sales at the farm level, and more than 9,300 jobs. Corn and soybean production on that same acreage would support only 2,578 jobs.
- If half of the increased production was sold in farmer-owned stores, it would require 1,405 such stores staffed by 9,652 people.
This is consistent with findings in numerous local food studies: economic, profitable, sustainable, and not requiring extensive subsidy beyond instantiation of infrastructures (say, processing facilities).
See also Grower To Grower from cais.wisc.edu for some of the dynamics of smaller scale farms. Big bucks from small acres. University of Illinois Extension circa 2002 found a lot of "takers" for small scale farming; some of it purpose-driven, funding college, a new boat, or to pay down a mortgage, etc. I don't have a link at hand for that one.
Photograph: Mike Glodo, Small Jonathan and Stayman Apples from Southern Illinois
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Heartland Papers - Midwest Economic Issues
Heartland Papers
Excellent thinking about the rural economy here in the Midwest. Strong sense of regionalism.
Issue 2 - "Past Silos and Smokestacks: Transforming the Rural Economy in the Midwest," by Mark Drabenstott, director of the Center for Regional Competitiveness at the Rural Policy Research Institute and chairman of the Territorial Development Policy Committee for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Friday, March 12, 2010
Arcosanti as Holiday Village
http://www.centerparcs.com/ describes "Holiday Villages" across Europe and the UK. They speak to "Short Breaks and Family Holidays". Maybe a bit Disney, but I find these places appealing, along the lines of a Dude Ranch. These types of projects could be an interesting addition to an agro-tourism regional development model. Sort of a chunky nougat for an industry cluster. Sorry.
The Indiana project is with NPR's Morning Edition at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124593116 and the comments range from support to cynicism.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Local Food, Local Economy, Bad Governmental Policy
Why we need transformational leadership in government. Status quo is hurting families and limiting choice.Florida and California apparently dominate policy. Where are we?
My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)
Ultimately, it is the consumer who will pay the greatest price if the federal government continues to prevent the local food movement from expanding.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Startup Funding FAQ From Y Combinator
A nicely written quick read on startup funding and dynamics at How to Fund a Startup
by Paul Graham of Y Combinator.
In 1995, Paul Graham and Robert Tappan Morris created the systems of Viaweb which became Yahoo Store (as shown in the Waback Machine from 1998.)
I've been following Y Combinator for a couple of years now; very refreshing perspectives. I particularly find his take on incubators spot on. Old post of mine Growing Startups has some other resources.
Adding on a copy of Guy Kawasaki's Reality Check would be a good "required reading kit" for the n00b or pro on either side of a deal.
My review of Reality Check
by Paul Graham of Y Combinator.
In 1995, Paul Graham and Robert Tappan Morris created the systems of Viaweb which became Yahoo Store (as shown in the Waback Machine from 1998.)
I've been following Y Combinator for a couple of years now; very refreshing perspectives. I particularly find his take on incubators spot on. Old post of mine Growing Startups has some other resources.
Adding on a copy of Guy Kawasaki's Reality Check would be a good "required reading kit" for the n00b or pro on either side of a deal.
My review of Reality Check
"This is one that I wish I had had during several startups. Long on common sense, and many good sources identified throughout "for further study.""
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Chamber of Commerce Membership
Just took a look at the .doc application. Somewhere, there's got to be an abused MS Word application support group.
The writer exercised all possible font collections.
But wait. There's more.
$175 could get me, among other things, "INCLUDED IN CHAMBER BUSINESS DIRECTORY ON WEBSITE. FREE LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE."
So how much to keep them from linking to my website?
Thursday, August 06, 2009
City of Littleton Annual Report
The city of Littleton Colorado has produced a visually impressive annual report found at http://www.littletongov.org/bia/docs/biacc-report-2007.pdf
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Small Business Econometric Study / Trends From SBA
Highlights from " An Empirical Approach to Characterize Rural Small Business Growth and Profitability"
• Education was a significant explanatory variablein assessing the growth of rural small businesses.The number of high school graduates increases thenumber of rural small businesses. Moreover, one of the challenges facing rural communities is how to retain a younger, more educated population.
• The amount of “natural amenities” available in an area can impact rural small business growth. This is defined as the attractiveness of a place to live,based on factors such as climate, topography, and proximity to surface water.
• Rural areas have difficulty attracting profitable,high-tech businesses, primarily because of a lack ofboth an educated labor force and necessary infrastructure.
• Rural policy initiatives are geared primarilytoward specific topics or regions, which often proveseffective when there are sufficient resources to helprural small businesses. According to individualsinterviewed on the topic, rural development centersand non-profit organizations are vital components foreconomic development.
• Some explanatory variables were specific to particular states. These range from the number of ruralprimary care physicians per capita in North Carolinato immigration growth in Maine.
Interesting read (for wonks and mortals).
• Education was a significant explanatory variablein assessing the growth of rural small businesses.The number of high school graduates increases thenumber of rural small businesses. Moreover, one of the challenges facing rural communities is how to retain a younger, more educated population.
• The amount of “natural amenities” available in an area can impact rural small business growth. This is defined as the attractiveness of a place to live,based on factors such as climate, topography, and proximity to surface water.
• Rural areas have difficulty attracting profitable,high-tech businesses, primarily because of a lack ofboth an educated labor force and necessary infrastructure.
• Rural policy initiatives are geared primarilytoward specific topics or regions, which often proveseffective when there are sufficient resources to helprural small businesses. According to individualsinterviewed on the topic, rural development centersand non-profit organizations are vital components foreconomic development.
• Some explanatory variables were specific to particular states. These range from the number of ruralprimary care physicians per capita in North Carolinato immigration growth in Maine.
Interesting read (for wonks and mortals).
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Conservation Economy (via Ecotrust)
Portland Oregon's Ecotrust.org has made extensive use of a pattern language (see Christopher Alexander Pattern Language) as a design framework for sustainable systems.
"A Conservation Economy
When the health of ecosystems and communities is not integrated into economic activities, all three suffer. In turn, economic dependence on destructive activities creates apparent conflicts between work, nature, and community. How can we create an economy that effectively meets human needs while regenerating natural systems? An economy which grows organically — and fills new niches — by working with nature and enriching human capacities?
In A Conservation Economy, Economic arrangements of all kinds are gradually redesigned so that they restore, rather than deplete, Natural Capital and Social Capital. This will create extraordinary opportunities for those who foresee and drive these changes. The Fundamental Needs of people — and the Ecosystem Services which sustain them — are the starting point for a different kind of economic prosperity that can endure generation after generation."
The details can be found at http://www.conservationeconomy.net/conservation_economy.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Why regional markets matter: Driving Distance and Times. Chicago's 35 minutes closer than Kansas City
| From Goreville, IL | Miles | Hours:Minutes | |
| Paducah, KY | 45 | 0:50:00 | |
| St. Louis, MO | 131 | 2:08:00 | |
| Evansville, IN | 144 | 2:21:00 | |
| Nashville, TN | 180 | 2:50:00 | |
| Springfield, IL | 201 | 3:20:00 | |
| Memphis, TN | 205 | 3:00:00 | |
| Louisville, KY | 232 | 3:33:00 | |
| Chicago, IL | 332 | 5:18:00 | |
| Kansas City, MO | 379 | 5:53:00 |
Hi gang, I'll pretty this up at some point but the message is clear: we have export markets which have little to do with upstate. Louisville's about 2 hours closer than Chicago. Nashville, TN is closer than Springfield, IL. Memphis is 2 hours closer than Chicago.
This matters, and I want "regional" to get into the vocabulary ASAP. Geography's a hard thing to grasp, and when any of us (me included!) say Illinois it means a lot of things that I, for one, don't always understand it to mean. The latitude down here is the same as Roanoake VA and San Francisco..... It matters. Thanks.
Yours for good eats,
Mike (Born in Memphis, raised in Grand Tower Illinois, boomerang and proud of it!)
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Failed US Rural Broadband Policy
I posted a shorter version of this comment at the Chronicle of Higher Education in response to their article "Government Report Lauds Broadband Progress."
The two reports discussed are:
The two reports discussed are:
- “Networked Nation: Broadband in American, 2007” (pdf) by the National Telecommunications And Information Administration (NTIA) and
- "A Blueprint For Big Broadband"presented by EDUCAUSE at the recent "State of The Net" Congressional Conference
Poor, Known Faulty Sample Method Used
The NTIA report continues to rely upon illogical survey information for broadband: five digit zip codes.
In rural areas, some zip codes cover large areas, but if the respondent at the edge of a city with broadband can say “yep, I got broadband,” that entire zip code counts as having broadband service.
This sampling defect is well known and has been a point of annoyance for policy makers who understand the desire to game the system.
US Rural: Slow Deployment, Low Penetration, Stifled Innovation
With reference to regional and rural economic development, educational facilities here (in Southern Illinois) quickly find the limitations of broadband infrastructure. It’s minimal, and localized, at best, and expectations have been worn down by the incumbents.
Rural broadband is essential to sustainable, self sufficient, United States economies. Not sufficient, but certainly necessary.
This NTIA report will, unfortunately, be used as a rebuttal to those trying to make for rural change.
Those who tout its statistics should note that it is a lampoon of good policy, the data are blurred, and the myth of “competitive market solutions” continue apace.
The changes are coming, but the innovation seems to come from upstarts; the incumbent providers apparently move only when threatened.
Educause Report Substantiates Failed US Policy
EDUCAUSE raises good points vis a vis relative US position, but the emphasis (from my own self interest!) is not so much the 100Mb services as the need to get deployments of above 1Mb services, at a minimum, into the “flyover country” and economically depressed towns.
Netflix, for example, needs at least 1.0 Mb for good video quality, with best quality at 1.5+ Mb services.
But the use of a network adds value to all the connected.
These higher speeds will enable new educational models, new business forms, and new sources of entertainment on demand. Applications (payroll, hr, product catalogs, customer relationship information, health records) are becoming more a Service In The Cloud, and designers are improving the effectiveness of "local" and "distant" cooperative applications.
A small business can deliver much of its own infrastructure as a service reached across a reliable, high capacity, network.
Apple continues to drive innovation in the educational segment: iTunes U delivers digital content for free to students from Kindergarten and up. Apple provides free materials for "how to do this" type of education. But this all depends upon a robust ubiquitous broadband network into the communities served.
And we in the rural parts of the world haven't got that network yet, although this was promised in deals made back in the mid 1990s in exchange for "deregulation".
Poppycock.
And the network latency of many "well you could do this" proposed solutions of EDGE, satellite, etc. is a fable best told to the illiterate.
Of course, the further parts of the guile includes capacity lids for numbers of bits passed through the network to "protect the infrastructure". Balderdash.
Market Failure
Because of the low population density of the rural US, providers using old school thinking and relying upon old economic models give a great example of “market failure”; precisely the sorts of conditions which drove rural electrification and taxes for “Universal Service” for the regulated Bell monopoly.
The relief may well come from initiatives that resemble the TVA/REA works and rural electric coops. By other measures in the news these days, history seems to be repeating itself in other ways as well.
Nonetheless, when my neighbor's copper wire from the road to the house broke, the local telco rolled out a truck and crew to replace the copper wire with.... more copper wire. Three times. Not the crew's fault, but it is a grand example of failed policy. Give those telcos out here the Hobgoblin award.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Common Economic Development Terms
Definitions can be found at www.neogis.org/keywords.pdf.
While this was compiled for the Team NEO (Northern Ohio), it seems a good generic set of definitions.
Covers Business Improvement Districts, TIFs, and etc. Its value is as a "pointer" to more thorough discussion (the document has many links).
While this was compiled for the Team NEO (Northern Ohio), it seems a good generic set of definitions.
Covers Business Improvement Districts, TIFs, and etc. Its value is as a "pointer" to more thorough discussion (the document has many links).
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Book List / Recommendations
I've read all of these (maybe not *too* recently) and found them quite useful (by degree). Some are for skimming (like the subtle issues of 501 corporations....) but others have good staying power.
This list was first prepared by me as volunteer staff work for a "Main Street" community in May 2006.
To describe work with them as informing me of the issues in change management and organizational development... that experience rather resembles finding gravel in the salad.
Gresham's Law of Organizations as Restated by Me: Bad management drives out good.
Ok. Totally useless opinion but I'm feeling better now.
Clicking any of the links will take you to Amazon.com where you can read 3rd party reviews.
Executive, Board, and Administrative
Starting & Building A Nonprofit: A Practical Guide by Peri Pakroo
Very good basic information in the formation and management of non profits. I found the pieces discussing roles and responsibilities(e.g, what board members do, legal complications, common sense) quite applicable.
Peopleware : Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd Ed. by Tom Demarco and Timothy Lister
While written for engineering (software) projects, this has universal application in managing and creating effective teams.
The One Minute Manager Anniversary Ed : The World's Most Popular Management Method by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
I trained with one of Blanchard's disciples in the mid-80s. Good common sense on communications and leadership skills.
Development and Historic Preservation
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Modern Library Series) by Jane Jacobs (Marion Library System has)
The Experience of Place : A New Way of Looking at and Dealing With our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside (Vintage) by Tony Hiss
Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard Kunstler (Paperback - Jul 26, 1994)
Edge City : Life on the New Frontier by Joel Garreau
Boomtown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns by John M. Schultz
A Pattern Language : Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series) -- by Christopher Alexander (One of my personal favorites; I used it for training new hires in how to think about design and planning).
This list was first prepared by me as volunteer staff work for a "Main Street" community in May 2006.
To describe work with them as informing me of the issues in change management and organizational development... that experience rather resembles finding gravel in the salad.
Gresham's Law of Organizations as Restated by Me: Bad management drives out good.
Ok. Totally useless opinion but I'm feeling better now.
Clicking any of the links will take you to Amazon.com where you can read 3rd party reviews.
Executive, Board, and Administrative
Starting & Building A Nonprofit: A Practical Guide by Peri Pakroo
Very good basic information in the formation and management of non profits. I found the pieces discussing roles and responsibilities(e.g, what board members do, legal complications, common sense) quite applicable.
Peopleware : Productive Projects and Teams, 2nd Ed. by Tom Demarco and Timothy Lister
While written for engineering (software) projects, this has universal application in managing and creating effective teams.
The One Minute Manager Anniversary Ed : The World's Most Popular Management Method by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
I trained with one of Blanchard's disciples in the mid-80s. Good common sense on communications and leadership skills.
Development and Historic Preservation
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Modern Library Series) by Jane Jacobs (Marion Library System has)
The Experience of Place : A New Way of Looking at and Dealing With our Radically Changing Cities and Countryside (Vintage) by Tony Hiss
Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape by James Howard Kunstler (Paperback - Jul 26, 1994)
Edge City : Life on the New Frontier by Joel Garreau
Boomtown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns by John M. Schultz
A Pattern Language : Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series) -- by Christopher Alexander (One of my personal favorites; I used it for training new hires in how to think about design and planning).
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Growing Startups
So, how to encourage early stage knowledge based companies?
Specifics change, but the necessary conditions for success seem constant. For example:
Seedcamp itself identifies "venture side" criteria as applicable to Southern Illinois as they are to Romania.
NB: Seedcamp was influenced by the American venture work by Y Combinator. Note especially the emphasis upon early stage companies.
Quick summary at www.e-consultancy.com/
Specifics change, but the necessary conditions for success seem constant. For example:
- Great Ideas,
- Commitment,
- Community, and
- Infrastructure
"Europe has all the right ingredients – environment, talent, capital and role models - to build world beating technology businesses. It’s hard for young entrepreneurs to secure funding, develop the right connections and build teams to supercharge their business."
"So Europe is a few cycles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem
behind silicon valley, but if you are an opportunist that
should set off alarm bells."
From Seedcamp's blog.
Seedcamp itself identifies "venture side" criteria as applicable to Southern Illinois as they are to Romania.
NB: Seedcamp was influenced by the American venture work by Y Combinator. Note especially the emphasis upon early stage companies.
Quick summary at www.e-consultancy.com/
Friday, August 03, 2007
Williamson County Airport (MWA) Hub To LAS
Significant Good News Pending... oh pretty please!
Allegiant Air looks to be coming to Williamson County Airport, as reported in The Southern.
Both Las Vegas and Orlando provide serious trade show venues in(my interest)software and networks. LAS has great access into West Coast (eg, San Jose, Seattle...) and Orlando in kind has flights "everywhere".
Don't even get me started on Theme Parks and Cheap Slots.
But business: that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
The direct connections from Williamson County would be a strategic asset for this region.
NB: I also hope that this closes out landfill plans and the bird hit issue.
Allegiant Air looks to be coming to Williamson County Airport, as reported in The Southern.
Both Las Vegas and Orlando provide serious trade show venues in(my interest)software and networks. LAS has great access into West Coast (eg, San Jose, Seattle...) and Orlando in kind has flights "everywhere".
Don't even get me started on Theme Parks and Cheap Slots.
But business: that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
The direct connections from Williamson County would be a strategic asset for this region.
NB: I also hope that this closes out landfill plans and the bird hit issue.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
What a difference a paragraph makes: Ohio Broadband
So there it is: backbone, anyone?
Authorizing Connections to the Broadband Ohio Network.
Discussion (wear your aluminum hat) at slashdot and the Massachusetts $25 Million rural broadband funding initiative covered at broadbandreports.com.
Authorizing Connections to the Broadband Ohio Network.
Because a primary goal of updating the State’s data network services is to ensure that there is viable access to superior broadband services in all parts of Ohio, including access for non-state entities, I am directing the Broadband Council to authorize connections to the Broadband Ohio Network, when it becomes available, to both governmental and non-governmental entities.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland
Discussion (wear your aluminum hat) at slashdot and the Massachusetts $25 Million rural broadband funding initiative covered at broadbandreports.com.
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