Harnessing Community Culturefor Resiliency Planning andRecovery ResponseCh.6Successful economic development initiatives that make for resilientjurisdictions and shape recovery eforts are fundamentally rooted incommunity values, pride, and identity, which comprise communityculture; these are the characteristics that make each community unique.People create economic engines that define local places in a historical andcultural context. Business activity, in turn, shapes the history and culture ofcommunities.Planning for economic resiliency and responding to crises ofer opportunitiesto revisit and reimagine the aspects of culture and history that composea community’s identity and civic pride. Planning and response processescan capture cultural expressions and community identity, translating theminto community vision, planning frameworks, and project priorities for youreconomic development strategy. Successfully capitalizing on shared visionand priorities has the potential to result in community and economic vibrancythat benefits residents and workers. These processes also hold the potentialto drive innovation and new business activity.This chapter describes how community culture can be harnessed foreconomic resiliency planning and for recovery response with projects that:• Reflect the community identity of economic specializations;• Address marginalization and exclusion;• Create a culture of innovation;• Promote cultural initiatives; and• Connect people and business to place.Refect the Community Identity ofEconomic SpecializationsEconomic resiliency initiatives may highlight the primary economic activitythat drives the economy or a specialized or emerging business activity thatmerits investment and coordinating capacity. These initiatives ofen highlightvarious programs, projects, and businesses that contribute to an overallcommunity brand or to the vision that highlights key unifying aspects of thecommunity’s culture and economy.Long-standing economic and cultural traditions together make up thecomparative advantage grounded in the specializations that give a regionits unique characteristics. Highlighting key economic activity and businessclusters as part of a community’s values, pride, and identity can enhancevarious aspects of community and economic development: communitybrand, livability, and attractiveness to talent, business, and investment.55
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