Widening geographic inequality in the United States has shifted federal policymakers' attention to investing in "places" as well as "people." Given the large proportion of rural places in the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional...

Capital budgets and improvement plans present exceptional opportunities for governments to drive equitable outcomes in municipalities, particularly when budgeting for recovery. The significant spending power authorized through capital budgets –...

Albuquerque Economic Development has embraced the critical need for developing a strategy not only to drive recovery in the region, but to ensure that it does not again find itself left behind as it was following the Great Recession. The 2021...

In this publication, the Center for Community Investment uses six case studies of successful climate resilience investments to surface a set of common strategies that take aim at the systems underlying the inequitable distribution of risk. Together,...

Through data analysis supported by stakeholder interviews and case studies, this research from the National League of Cities identifies factors that support local engagement in regional economies, how these factors vary for urban and rural places,...

This is an Opportunity Zone Prospectus for the County of San Bernardino, California. It was produced through collaboration between San Bernardino County and Local Equity LLC.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) provides local governments with an unprecedented opportunity to access federal funding to support community priorities. The ARP includes direct funding (known as Fiscal Recovery Funds) to state and local...

This chartbook compares the breadth of general sales and excise tax bases across the states. It categorizes detailed personal consumption expenditures (as measured in the Bureau of Economic Analysis National Income and Products Accounts) by their...

During this installment of the CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series, we explored how investing in food-centered redevelopment can restore local food systems infrastructure, catalyze additional neighborhood development, and protect healthy,...

The 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure reveals we’ve made some incremental progress toward restoring our nation’s infrastructure. For the first time in 20 years, our infrastructure is out of the D range. While this report grades 17...

The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority authored this affordable housing needs assessment in 2020. Housing markets in New Mexico vary widely between larger metro areas, many of which are growing and stable, and rural areas with declining...

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) will create unprecedented new uses for internet-enabled devices and heighten demands for connectivity. 5G, considered the next mobile wireless standard, will support the proliferation of these devices. As part of our...

There are many models to financing broadband and finding the correct approach for your community may be challenging. As part of our collaboration with Ice Miller, this video will dive into the details of successful locally owned municipal network...

The 2020 Housing Instability & Homelessness Report Series is a collection of reports by UNC that utilizes local data to provide informative and actionable research to engage a variety of stakeholders including elected officials, policymakers,...

For most of 2020, the country has been beset by the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest sparked by longstanding racial injustice, and the devastating impacts of climate change. Although low interest rates and continued growth in some sectors have...

Land banks are public authorities or non-profit organizations created to acquire, hold, manage, and sometimes redevelop property in order to return these properties to productive use to meet community goals, such as increasing affordable housing or...

USDA’s Forest Service (FS), Rural Development (RD), and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) have developed this resource guide for rural communities to identify resources that develop the recreation economy.

In a post-COVID world, it will be imperative to invest in our underserved communities’ capacity to serve themselves, and in their resilience. Opportunity Zones are one tool to drive this effort. The Milken Institute has developed this state and...

CALED knows from its work supporting economic development throughout California that infrastructure financing is a challenge for many rural communities. CALED collaborated with CDFA to develop this guidebook to meet the need for a resource to help...

In 2019, the Governor signed House Memorial 16 directing the Economic Development Department (NMEDD) to bring together stakeholders and convene an Economic Development Innovation Task Force to spur collaboration and innovative discussions on methods...

Linden is a distressed neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. This plan is designed to create a roadmap for safe neighborhoods, economic development and access to affordable housing, quality healthcare, education and employment opportunities in Linden.

This document summarizes the 4 communities that were awarded funds through HUD's Choice Neighborhoods program in FY2019. The program promotes a comprehensive approach to transforming neighborhoods struggling to address the interconnected challenges...

Local governments attempt to influence business location decisions and economic development through use of the property tax. This report by Richard Dye and David Merriman used an extensive data set for the Chicago metropolitan area that includes...

Aaron Cooper discusses a unique mixed-use development finance case study in Ajo, AZ. This project explores the International Sonoran Desert Alliance project and it's impact on Ajo, AZ.

As budgets are stretched and new rules are created, it can be difficult to pull together funding for necessary infrastructure improvements and community facilities. Adam Pope explores proven approaches for financing rail/freight intermodal facility...

Urban communities like Atlanta and Savannah are not the only places looking for help to fund economic development. Georgia is filled with rural communities and small towns that are also in need of financing strategies. These areas face unique...

This report recommends ways that Hawaii state agencies can leverage transit-oriented development (TOD) to maximize benefits to the State of Hawaii.

Low Impact Development (LID) represents one of the most progressive trends in the area of stormwater management and water quality. This approach involves utilizing strategies to control precipitation as close to its source as possible in order to...

This report summarizes the outcomes of RE.invest, an 18-month predevelopment process with eight US cities and teams of leading private sector design, engineering, law, and finance experts. The results are examples of the types of projects made...

Innovation Districts are creative urban ecosystems in which city leaders, start-ups, established firms, institutions, skilled workers, and entrepreneurs converge to capitalize upon new ideas and technological breakthroughs. Innovation districts are...

Cities incubate creativity and serve as labs for innovative ideas and policies. The concept of an Innovation District is one such idea. These districts are creative, energy-laden ecosystems that focus on building partnerships across sectors.

Created by the Maryland Economic Development Commission, the new strategic plan for accelerating economic development in Maryland in six steps.

This webinar by the EDA’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) discusses the Regional Innovation Strategies Program competition to spur innovation capacity-building activities in regions across the nation.

This guide from University of Wisconsin–Madison explains keypoints to an impact analysis and why it is an important step in the development planning process. This guide is intended for use by community leaders, planners, extension agents and...

In this paper by the Clean Energy Group, program and policy information, finance tools, and best practices are explored concerning resilient power and disaster planning.

Courtney Knight of Invest Atlanta provides an overview of the Atlanta Beltline and some of the key elements that help support the project.

The U.S. EPA released this report as a general guide local decision-makers, summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of the funding sources for green infrastructure and stormwater utilities in particular.

The Partnership for Active Transportation is a unique collaboration of organizations working across the fields of transportation, public health, economic development, community leadership, equity and livability.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments' 2015 State of the Region: Infrastructure Report provides an in-depth look at both the infrastructure systems in the metropolitan Washington D.C. region, and their funding needs.

This report, produced by CDFA for the World Bank, is intended to provide information to communities and countries interested in identifying potential financing tools for the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated industrial sites. Specific...

This report evaluates several case studies throughout the country. A rural county in Oregon initiated a program aimed to improve economic outcomes of landowners by compensating them for the air quality benefits of their forests. This example can...

This economic development plan, created by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, lays out a clear vision to enable Illinois to continue to be a force in the global economy by driving broad-based growth for all businesses,...

Larry Kosmont, CEO of Kosmont Companies gives a comprehensive look into the targeted tools of California.

Don Cunningham with Lehigh Valley EDC presents on the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) and Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) programs, and how they have been transforming communities in Allentown and Bethlehem.

The U District Partnership is an example of a Business Improvement District. The district was forged between the Seattle, the UW, Sound Transit, Business Owners, Property Owners, and Residents of the District. This Strategic Plan demonstrates areas...

The Institute for Sustainable Communities provided this sustainable food systems resource guide. It is intended to help local, state, and regional practitioners do their jobs better by exploring key challenges and elevating effective models and...

The Texas Municipal League Legislative Policy Committee on Revenue and Finance provides an overview of the League's position on legislation for the year ahead. The guidebook includes the overview of framework and philosophy used to develop positions...

The Arizona Department of Transportation released this report highlighting the future of infrastructure needs in the state, the funding outlook, and a plan to prioritize economic growth along key corridors.