North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Post

Will Rural Devolution Work? With rural areas of the UK such as Devon and Torbay securing #Devolution deals, and more rural deals on the horizon, what are the implications and challenges of this new approach? Inflect's Rhianna Riley and Fabian Cooper explore: https://lnkd.in/e2-M4VVa

The other day, I stumbled on a WCPO article with the tagline, “Can $420M turn Ohio into a tourist destination for bike trails, earth mounds, and Grant historical sites?" It piqued my interest. #Ruralcommunities have requested millions to #revitalize their #downtowns, improve their #qualityofplace #infrastructure, and boost local #tourism. But I particularly loved seeing a state-funded, competitive grant program to empower rural communities to propose their projects and demonstrate how their proposal will benefit both locals and the state. To be successful, applicants bring their A-game. There are some good insights and practices for your community to glean from this grant program (and another in Kentucky). #economicdevelopment #ruraldevelopment #rural #qualityoflife #siteselection Economic Development Is [STILL] Not For Amateurs! - Authors Jay Garner & Ross Patten https://lnkd.in/ga9PcA8z

Check out our latest blog post for insights on how two states use competitive grant programs to boost #ruraldevelopment, #siteselection, #tourism, and #mainstreet #revitalization. If you are looking for other best practices on site selection, quality of place, and more, check out our book on Amazon! We have 99 five-star reviews and we share tons of examples of thriving communities and practices to follow (both rural and urban).

We need a clear, efficient and transparent infrastructure contribution system that better reflects the true cost of infrastructure in different development settings and supports better use of existing infrastructure. Adam Carey reports in The Age today that new outer suburbs could be built with fewer kindergartens, libraries and sports fields because developer contributions relied on to pay for the crucial community infrastructure are falling hundreds of millions of dollars short - https://lnkd.in/gfFKxEWi Infrastructure Victoria research has identified the need to reform state and local government infrastructure contribution schemes to send the right price signals and meet the needs of growing communities across all development settings - https://lnkd.in/gHFyzb6M And when it comes to libraries and aquatic centres, Infrastructure Victoria research shows there's an opportunity for co-investment by governments to meet the needs of Melbourne's new growth areas - https://lnkd.in/g4C6tG5R Department of Transport and Planning Victorian Planning Authority Stuart Moseley SGS Economics and Planning Municipal Association of Victoria Kelly Grigsby Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Victoria Linda Allison Planning Institute of Australia Property Council Victoria Cath Evans, GAICD Wyndham City Council Cardinia Shire Council Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) #infrastructure #contribution #reform #planning #growth #research #housing #choices #libraries #swimmingpools

The announcement of the new £1bn Towns Fund for 55 towns around the UK reminded me of this report that Metro Dynamics produced for York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership in late 2019, entitled 21st Century Towns. It’s a wide-ranging report that aimed to give the LEP a playbook for supporting town economies, but which I think will have relevance for the 55 towns who have been named as recipients of the funding. If anything, I think Covid has made it more relevant, given how this has changed working patterns and economic geography around the country. https://lnkd.in/eyV-8-2F

The green belt is a town planning policy designed to prevent urban sprawl, protect the countryside and direct development to the most sustainable locations. Green belt surrounds most major cities and extends around 5–10 miles from the edge of the built-up areas, protecting small satellite towns and villages from being enveloped. Between 2013 and 2021, the amount of green belt reduced from 16,390 to 16,140 square kilometres. 2021/22 saw the first major expansion of the green belt in recent years, with a new 269 square kilometre extension to protect Morpeth in Northumberland. Of the 347,000 properties sold in England this year, 5,000 were in the green belt and at least 21 large developments are currently under construction within green belt land, including garden villages, retirement villages and urban extensions. A little over one million people are living in a green belt area and with this comes the peace of mind that local new developments will be limited and well thought out. Over 2,000 small towns and villages are surrounded by green belt, providing them with protected countryside. Source: #Dataloft, DLUHC, Land Registry, Dataloft, Census 2021

The green belt is a town planning policy designed to prevent urban sprawl, protect the countryside and direct development to the most sustainable locations. Green belt surrounds most major cities and extends around 5–10 miles from the edge of the built-up areas, protecting small satellite towns and villages from being enveloped. Between 2013 and 2021, the amount of green belt reduced from 16,390 to 16,140 square kilometres. 2021/22 saw the first major expansion of the green belt in recent years, with a new 269 square kilometre extension to protect Morpeth in Northumberland. Of the 347,000 properties sold in England this year, 5,000 were in the green belt and at least 21 large developments are currently under construction within green belt land, including garden villages, retirement villages and urban extensions. A little over one million people are living in a green belt area and with this comes the peace of mind that local new developments will be limited and well thought out. Over 2,000 small towns and villages are surrounded by green belt, providing them with protected countryside. Source: #Dataloft, DLUHC, Land Registry, Dataloft, Census 2021

A thorough and thoughtful approach! Great resource for rural regions.

The Queensland Government’s release of the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan 2023 Update marks a pivotal moment for the region's future. The update contains new strategies to create great places and accommodate population growth equitably and sustainably. It reveals SEQ’s population is projected to increase by 2.16 million people by 2046 and points to the need for 900,000 more homes of different types located close to jobs and services.  With such a substantial shift on the horizon, it's essential that communities can navigate the changes the update seeks to facilitate. Studio THI’s recent Understanding Urban Change Readiness Report delves deep into the capacity of communities to participate in and navigate such change. It shows a striking lack of awareness about the issues urban planners are trying to address. However, it also finds that with minimal education, communities can understand related issues, explore values and become more supportive of change. You can read or comment on the SEQ plan here: https://lnkd.in/ghtPgp_U If you are curious about our report, you can read it here: https://lnkd.in/gDQ7vdu6 #UrbanChange #CommunityPreparedness #Sustainability #SouthEastQueensland #Innovation #FutureReady

In collaboration with Smart Growth America and Complete Streets, Alta recently released "An Active Roadmap: Best Practices in Rural Mobility." The report illustrates how rural communities can flourish by embracing enhanced opportunities for walking, biking, and utilizing public transit despite prevailing sentiments favoring urban investment over rural development. Learn more here: