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The Community Development Partnership Imperative
Chris Merrett, PhD, DirectorIllinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Western Illinois University
Illinois Institute for Rural AffairsWestern Illinois University
Purpose and Outline
Discuss why community economic development (CED) matters.
Overview of the IIRA. Explore the
importance of partnerships to CED.
1. Rationale for CED. Does a rising tide lift all
ships?
Metaphor versus reality: Why CED matters.
2. Overview of the IIRA.
3. The Power of Partnerships. IIRA CED success through
partnerships.
IIRA and the ECIDC.
Symposium overview.
I. Rationale for CED
Development as metaphor… “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Metaphor used by JFK (1962) and Reagan (1984)
to explain how economic development works. Is this metaphor in fact true?
I. Rationale for CED Development Reality.
1990s National Trends. Population.
Economy.
Conditions in Illinois. 34 of 102 counties lost
population.
Tide of prosperity bypassed many rural communities.
Implications. Responsible for our own destiny.
IIRA driven by this reality to help communities to help themselves.
Regional partnerships matter.
II. Overview of the IIRA IIRA founded in 1989.
Executive Order identifies the IIRA as the “the State’s academic clearinghouse for rural development data and initiatives.”
Provide research and technical assistance to the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council (GRAC), which is chaired by the Lt. Governor.
Mission: To improve the quality of life for the people of rural Illinois and beyond. Research, policy, technical assistance, teaching.
Help communities to help themselves.
Asset-based Community Development (ABCD).
Sustainable CED – Triple bottom line, 3Ps = profits, planet, people.
Prioritize rural but we have worked in all 102 Illinois counties and beyond.
Personnel and Budget.
40 FTE and $4.2 million – 2/3 external funding – USDA, DCEO, EDA, SBA…
(1) Strategic Visioning
(2) Technical Assistance
(3) Implementation
Where are we now? Where do we want to
be? How do we get there?Goal:Prioritize CED objectives through a grassroots consensus-based process.
Business Plans Business Retention &
Expansion Data Collection / Analysis Economic Impact Analysis Feasibility Studies Fiscal Impact Analysis GIS Mapping Labor Market Analysis Marketing Surveys Renewable Energy Retail Trade Analysis Sustainable Development
Peace Corps Fellows IIRA Follow-up Midwest CDI AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Training Statewide
Conference Regional Workshops Online materialsGoal:Improve the quality of life for the residents of rural Illinois and beyond.
II. Overview of the IIRA
Provost
Director Merrett
MAPPING Sustainable
DevelopmentHealth & Housing
Rural Transit
DATA Center SBDC PTAC RETAC
Peace Corps
Fellows
Faculty
Management Team
II. Overview of the IIRA
We help a community filled with conflicting visions and agendas…
…to become a community with a shared vision that has been generated through consensus.
Communities need to be proactive…
II. Overview of the IIRA We have been in business
for 22 years, serving over 400 communities.
During this time we have learned a few things: CED is hard work. No shortcuts or easy paths
to CED despite what some folks might say.
Identify, nurture and deploy the assets you have in your own communities and region.
Partnerships matter a lot!
III. The Power of Partnerships
Hoopeston, Illinois, Housing Project. Several IIRA programs collaborated with state agencies
and a private sector real estate developer to spur the development of a 25-home subdivision to be completed by the spring of 2011. This $4.6 million development was initiated by a Peace Corps Fellow from WIU. Working with an IIRA-sponsored VISTA volunteer from Hoopeston, the PCF collaborated with the IIRA Health and Housing program (with USDA-RCDI funds) and the MAPPING program to identify housing needs in the community. With a plan in place, the town of Hoopeston worked with the Illinois Community Action Development Corporation, IHDA and a private sector builder to plan and build the subdivision.
Hicks, Carol. 2010. Hoopeston Subdivision Open for Families. Danville Commercial-News. November 30. Online: http://commercial-news.com/local/x713538933/Hoopeston-subdivision-open-for-families.
III. The Power of Partnerships
Our partnership with the ECIDC is very important.
We have worked with many communities, counties, and institutions in the ECIDC region.
Today’s symposium showcases these partnerships.
We appreciate the opportunity to share these successes with you.
III. The Power of Partnerships
1:00 -- 1:30. Informational Booths / Networking 1:30 -- 2:15. Strategic Visioning & Community
Foundations IIRA / MAPPING Program Manager Gisele Hamm SE IL Community Foundation President/CEO Joedy Hightower
2:30 -- 3:15. Peace Corps Fellows Program IIRA / PCF Program Manager Karen Mauldin-Curtis City of Casey Economic Development Director Nicole Weigand
3:30 -- 4:15. GIS Mapping, GIS Community Interns, Survey Research, & Data Tools IIRA / DATA Center Manager Lori Sutton Lake Land College-GIS Instructor Dr. Mike Rudibaugh
4:30 -- 5:00. Networking / Evaluations / Closing Remarks
Thank you again…
CONTACT:CHRIS MERRETT, DIRECTORILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOR RURAL AFFAIRSWESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITYMACOMB, IL [email protected]://www.iira.org
Illinois Institute for Rural AffairsWestern Illinois University
