Community Compass library
Look it up before the meeting
Plain-language explanations and real questions from residents, volunteers, and local officials about zoning, codes, housing, neighborhoods, organizations, and local economies. Laws and programs change and vary by place, so confirm anything time-sensitive with your local office or the current official source.
Economic & rural developmentClear search
Visitor question · Economic & rural development
"Rocky" Small Rural Town Makes Big Splash and Brands Weldon NC
Reviewed: June 4, 2024 Website visitor writes: By Michael Smith (Rural Ethnography Solutions Website) As a independent Qualitative Ethnography Researcher,Guide · Economic & rural development
A "Vibrant Downtown Ordinance" Is New Approach
We propose a vibrant downtown ordinance, requiring landlords to fill vacant space to make a lively and vital central business district or shopping area.Guide · Economic & rural development
A Community's Entrepreneurship Definition Should Focus on Business Success
The entrepreneurship definition we like is the process of becoming a successful business owner, who shows innovation, action orientation, and creativity.Guide · Economic & rural development
A Night Mayor Position Helps Cities Cope with Night Life and Night Shift Challenges
A night mayor is a city or downtown association employee who improves both the employment and recreational aspects of a city after dark. We explain advantages.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Abandoned Homes in a Village
In our tiny Village we have so many homes that have been abandoned. There are no jobs available in our area and the few jobs that there are pay such lowGuide · Economic & rural development
Arts and Economic Development Are Complementary
Turbo charge the arts and economic development nexus when you actively cultivate cultural connections to tourism, innovation, and place-making.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Attracting a grocery store to a rural small town
Visitor Question: How do we attract a grocery store to our town? Editors Reply: Thank you for giving your zip code, which allowed us to see that you areVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Becoming Certified as a CDC
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: Who can I apply to for my company to become a Community Development Corporation? When is application taken?Guide · Economic & rural development
Beginning to Understand Tax Increment Financing
Municipalities can use tax increment financing, known as TIF, to finance public improvements by borrowing against future additional taxes.Guide · Economic & rural development
Benefits and Components of an Innovation District
An innovation district consciously creates cross-pollination among start-ups, existing businesses, and higher ed, while featuring attractive employee amenities.Guide · Economic & rural development
Build Economic Development on Realities, Not Myths
If you are serious about local economic development, avoid pie-in-the-sky activities that don't attract money to the community, and learn what works instead.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Business District Events Favor Restaurants
Visitor Question: I live in Winchester VA. I'm a merchant in the Historic District. The City hired an Events Manager who for three years puts on eventsGuide · Economic & rural development
Business Retention Is Best Community Option
Here learn the art of business retention, a much better use of community resources than trying to land one the rare business relocations.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Can CDCs have employees
Last Reviewed: July 4, 2024 Visitor Question:Are community development corporations allowed to hire employees? Why or why not? Editors Reply: CertainlyVisitor question · Economic & rural development
CDC acting in bad faith
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: Who can we turn to when our community development corporation, a 501c nonprofit, acts in bad faith, counterVisitor question · Economic & rural development
CDC and 501(c)3
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: We are interested and looking into starting a CDC in our town. Do you need to register as a 501(c)3 with theVisitor question · Economic & rural development
CDC's Geographical Footprint
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: Can CDCs have a national mandate or does it have to be local? Editors Respond: We suppose this is a definitionalVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Cities funding CDCs
Last Reviewed: June 13, 2024 Visitor Question: Are there any restrictions on Cities or local units of government funding CDCs? Editors Reply: There areVisitor question · Economic & rural development
City Involvement in a CDC
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: We are a small suburban city and what is the expectation of a Mayor's involvement in a CDC? Do Mayors, Council,Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Cleaning Up Neighborhood Store Fronts
Last Reviewed: August 13, 2024 Visitor Question: How do you get neighborhood businesses to clean up their store fronts? Editors' Reply: Ginny, we'reVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Closed CDC meetings and transparency
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: Can a community development corporation hold meetings which are closed to the community at large? EditorsGuide · Economic & rural development
Commercial District Revitalization Requires Skill, Determination, Experimentation
Commercial district revitalization is challenging due to multiple property and business owners. Coordination and diversification are essential.Guide · Economic & rural development
Community Attachment Research Provides Excellent Discussion Points
Understanding community attachment can help you retain talented residents. We describe factors in city loyalty, including social life, openness, and beauty.Guide · Economic & rural development
Community Development Banks Lend to Lower Income Clients
Learn how community development banks offer targeted lending and financial services in low to moderate-income areas.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Community Development Corporation Approval by United Nations
Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: I have had a CDC since 2014. Are Community Development Corporations registered and/or approved by the UnitedVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Community Development Corporation Questions Abound; Here Are Some Answers
Community development corporations raise many questions about transparency and accountability. This page is a gateway to asking them.Visitor question · Economic & rural development
Community dinners as community engagement
What about having some community dinners as a way of having community engagement? We are a small community of mostly farm families with a couple of smallVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Diseases and Economic Development
How does the long term impact of different diseases affect economic development? Editors' Response: We will assume that you are writing from a developingVisitor question · Economic & rural development
Does a CDC have to post public notices
Visitor Question: In the last year or so, a so-called CDC, a community development corporation, has been formed to work in and near the neighborhood whereGuide · Economic & rural development
Economic Development Incubator Helps Start-Ups
An economic development incubator provides local entrepreneurs with support, business advice, and shared facility economies. The goal is job creation.
Original guidance from A Good Community: How to Make and Keep It, owned and edited by Nancy Thompson (formerly Useful Community Development), shared with permission. Community Compass notes and updates are our own and have not been reviewed by Nancy Thompson.