The Economic Development Committee was created in the summer of 1998 to develop a strategy that would provide guidance to our municipalities on how they could cooperate to promote economic development opportunities throughout the region. The strategy was adopted in the spring of 1999.
This strategy was a breakthrough in its cooperative nature and the ability to recognize a fundamental truth -- individual effort on a playing field pales in comparison to what can be accomplished when a team pools its strengths and resources. This is as true in sports, as it is in promoting the economic well being of an area.
In the past, municipalities competed with each other in an effort to attract business. The Caucus recognized the fact that this view was outdated and limited. Today’s interconnected world demands a global view – even between municipalities existing only a few miles apart. This is precisely what transpired: the Caucus accepted the idea that to be part of the global economy, our municipalities needed to work together to market the region as a whole. Real competitors were other states and other major metropolitan areas in the country and the world –not each other.
This major shift not only decreased factionalism and friction; it increased prospects for success since one municipality would no longer undermine the promotional efforts of another and energy would be focused rather than dissipated. This should help us all win in the end – as we continue to amass points on the economic scoreboard for all who live in the region.
Retail 1-2-3: A Workbook for Local Officials and Community Leaders
The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus partnered with the International Council of Shopping Centers, Campaign for Sensible Growth and Metropolitan Planning Council to produce a workbook focusing on retail development in Illinois. Retail 1-2-3, released in February 2007, is the third in a series of workbooks for municipal and elected officials in the state, and builds on the earlier successes of Planning 1-2-3 (2006), a how-to guide to the elements of comprehensive planning, and Sensible Tools for Healthy Communities (2004), a workbook on development review. The production of Retail 1-2-3 was guided by a Technical Advisory Committee composed of municipal representatives, staff from the local Councils of Governments and retail and commercial developers. Mayor Henry Vicenik of the Village of Broadview co-chaired this Advisory Committee.
Retail 1-2-3 is a toolkit for local elected and appointed officials, citizen leaders, and the development community to help attract and retain valuable businesses while honoring the unique vision and goals of local governments. The book highlights the importance of incorporating retail into your community’s economic development plan, explains retail’s four Rs (recruitment, retention, revitalization, and replacement), explores the ways in which a community can improve its place in the market, offers an explanation of organizational structures for retail development that can lend clarity, efficiency, and predictability to your community’s efforts and provides valuable case studies of successful retail development by different kinds of communities.
To download a copy of Retail 1-2-3, please visit http://www.growingsensibly.org/cmapubs/retail123.asp
For more information, please feel free to contact Beth Dever (beth.dever@mayorscaucus.org; 312.201.4507).
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