Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 63
Harnessing Community Culture
for Resiliency Planning and
Recovery Response
Ch.6
Successful economic development initiatives that make for resilient
jurisdictions and shape recovery eforts are fundamentally rooted in
community values, pride, and identity, which comprise community
culture; these are the characteristics that make each community unique.
People create economic engines that define local places in a historical and
cultural context. Business activity, in turn, shapes the history and culture of
communities.
Planning for economic resiliency and responding to crises ofer opportunities
to revisit and reimagine the aspects of culture and history that compose
a community’s identity and civic pride. Planning and response processes
can capture cultural expressions and community identity, translating them
into community vision, planning frameworks, and project priorities for your
economic development strategy. Successfully capitalizing on shared vision
and priorities has the potential to result in community and economic vibrancy
that benefits residents and workers. These processes also hold the potential
to drive innovation and new business activity.
This chapter describes how community culture can be harnessed for
economic 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 of
Economic Specializations
Economic resiliency initiatives may highlight the primary economic activity
that drives the economy or a specialized or emerging business activity that
merits investment and coordinating capacity. These initiatives ofen highlight
various programs, projects, and businesses that contribute to an overall
community brand or to the vision that highlights key unifying aspects of the
community’s culture and economy.
Long-standing economic and cultural traditions together make up the
comparative advantage grounded in the specializations that give a region
its unique characteristics. Highlighting key economic activity and business
clusters as part of a community’s values, pride, and identity can enhance
various aspects of community and economic development: community
brand, livability, and attractiveness to talent, business, and investment.
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