Posts Tagged ‘New FoundNation’

Is there an economic opportunity in your community?

June 25th, 2010

I caught a Tweet from @dancowling the other day.  It read “Thinking Young In Your Community Development Efforts.”  That’s great advice, especially in the Upper Midwest where an increasing graying of the population is a threat to the future of our small towns.

Dan’s tweet linked to a post by Rex Nelson on the New FoundNation blog.  The post calls on rural leaders to “work smart,” rethink infrastructure investments, and focus on attracting talented young people. 

Rex also offers a list of 9 things communities must focus on in order to attract young people.  It’s a list worth passing along:

1. Stress downtown revitalization efforts
2. Provide planning grants for neighborhood revitalization projects
3. Focus on quality parks, biking trails and walking trails
4. Support local grant research and grant writing strategies
5.Work to improve the quality, safety and affordability of the housing stock
6. Support the construction and expansion of medical facilities
7. Protect the region’s environmental assets
8. Expand the application of green technologies
9. Support the development and marketing of entertainment, recreational and cultural assets
    (Source:  Rex Nelson, “Thinking Young in Your Community Development Efforts,” New FoundNation, April 28, 2010.)

Reading the list reminded me of a list I created in a post titled “5 Ways Rural Communities Can Get Ready for Gen Y” back in December 2009. I’ve copied my list below, but I’d encourage everyone to check out my original post for an explanation of each recommendation.   

1) Help create economic opportunities  (via entrepreneurship).
2) Make sure your community has third places that help introduce newcomers.
3) Develop good broadband internet capacities and wi-fi hot spots.
4) Help young people figure out “What am I going to do in this town?”
5) Rethink how you “engage” Gen Y in your community. 

Although Rex and my recommendations are quite different, I think they complement each other.   I would, however, like to highlight one point that I think is important for consideration. 

Neither list will produce a lasting result if young people can’t recognize an economic opportunity in your community. This doesn’t mean you should think focusing on recruiting businesses will solve your problems; the social and natural amenities featured on the lists above are extremely important.  But economic opportunity can’t be ignored either.

Photo Credit:  Warren Long – Flickr

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Posted in Community Development, Economic Development, Gen Y, Rural | Comments (2)