Wednesday, October 27th

11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Collaboration: Critical Success Factors for Strategic Regional Development Initiatives

Several national experts will candidly examine what factors have contributed to the success and/or failure of their regional economic, community and workforce development initiatives. Hear first-hand about how effective programs are born, nurtured and sustained.
Learn about failures, as well, from people who have failed regularly and spectacularly. And learn about the skills that are necessary to envision, implement and maintain lasting change in this dynamic and rapidly-evolving field. Set in the context of Surdna’s efforts to create economic opportunity, this panel will also explore the real-world trade-offs of trying to move mountains in a resource-constrained environment.

Diane Bell-McKoy, President, Associated Black Charities (moderator)
Evelyn Diaz, Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Workforce Investment Council
Rob Simpson, President, CenterState CEO
Brad Whitehead, President, Fund for Our Economic Future

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Summary of Workforce Development Programs in Illinois, by the Chicago Jobs Council

TOD: What’s Jobs Got To Do With It?

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is often thought of as a housing and neighborhood strategy. However, research and advocacy has been more and more focused on the relationship between transit-oriented development, economies and jobs. Transit investment and transit-oriented development are important economic development strategies that can lead to local and regional competitiveness and job growth. This panel will feature three speakers: Reconnecting America will present new national research on employment locations and TOD, and the implications of this research for communities seeking to leverage transit investments for regional and local economic opportunity. Initiative for a Competitive Inner City will present ongoing research on locally traded clusters that comprise 70% of national employment. Using data from the 100 largest U.S. inner cities, Ms. Lynch will describe tools for practitioners to identify local cluster opportunities along with private sector practices and public policies to support their growth, as well as the implications of this research on questions of regional and metropolitan policies. Good Jobs First will present research on economic development policies and programs at the state and regional level, and will also touch on present research on ARRA funding and state funding programs.

Helen Chin, Program Officer, Surdna Foundation (moderator)
Greg LeRoy, Executive Director, Good Jobs First   
Teresa Lynch, Senior Vice President, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City   
Sam Zimbabwe, Technical Assistance Director, Reconnecting America

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Additional resources:

Smart Growth is Smart Business: Boosting The Bottom Line and Community Prosperity
by NALGEP (National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals)

Building a Great Transit System for the Chicago Region
Chicago Metropolis 2020

Strategic Land Uses: Alternatives for Older Industrial Cities

After significant population loss, many of the nation’s older industrial cities have embarked on ambitious efforts to recreate themselves as vibrant and healthy (but smaller) cities. While taking a new look at land use and how to strategically reuse areas within their boundaries, cities like Baltimore, Detroit, and Syracuse have recognized that they need to attack the problem in multiple ways—such as through planning, policy, practice, and design. These cities are successfully leveraging the public, private, and “third sector,” to strategically target resources to turn the tide of abandonment. This panel will include discussion about a new planning paradigm that includes a range of land use alternatives, leveraging private development through code enforcement and other municipal tools, and partnering with anchor institutions for community-based revitalization.

Michael Braverman, Deputy Commissioner, Baltimore Housing Authority
Jennifer Leonard, Vice President, Center for Community Progress (moderator)
Fred Lewis, Founder, The Dominion Group
Dominic Robinson, Director of Prospect Hill Development, CenterState CEO

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