Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 91
Next Steps for Advancing
Economic Development
Resiliency and Recovery
Ch.9
Throughout this Playbook, the authors have focused on providing tools,
tactics, and resources for communities responding to or preparing for an
economic disruption. This process should be embraced to ensure the well
being and longevity of your community and local economy. Regardless of
where you are in the economic development resiliency and recovery cycle, as
you embark on your next step, keep in mind the following key takeaways.
Recovery and resiliency should focus on constant improvement. Given
that the resiliency and recovery cycle is not linear and you can be working
on both issues simultaneously, look for opportunities to improve on existing
conditions. Recovery is not building back to what once was, but working
toward a better and more resilient future by addressing issues such as equity,
diversity, risk assessment, and disaster mitigation. Use the silver lining of a
disruption to improve conditions for residents and businesses alike.
Be strategic. A deep understanding of your community’s strengths and
weaknesses should provide the foundation for your economic strategies.
Know what your community excels at and how to capitalize on these assets,
skills, and attributes. This includes using data to inform your knowledge of
current and future needs in infrastructure, industry clusters, workforce, and
other economic drivers.
Recognize and embrace your community’s diversity. Your residents,
workforce, and businesses make your community unique. This uniqueness,
along with values and culture, will help define what your community needs
in recovery and in ongoing resilience planning. Engaging with and listening to
all the voices in your community will give you a more holistic, unified vision to
guide your economic development strategy.
Collaboration and trust are key. Build trust within your community by
being a good partner, delivering on promises, and listening to and valuing
the voices of residents, business owners, and local stakeholders. Be open
to working with a variety of people and organizations to ensure ongoing
success. These partners can be found in city or county departments, regional
groups, federal and state resource providers, nonprofit and community-based
organizations, and others.
Business assistance will help drive economic recovery and resiliency.
Businesses not only contribute to the fabric of your community, but also
employ residents and create economic opportunity. The time spent assisting
your businesses with resiliency planning and recovery during disruptions and
disasters will help create a stronger, more resilient economy that supports
residents who rely on their jobs for stability and their quality of life.
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