Lisa Stifler is a Research Associate with the Community & Economic Development Program. Over the past decade or two, there has been increasing attention and interest in growing community wealth from within.  Activities have focused on leadership development, entrepreneurship and growing business … Read more

Lisa Stifler is a Research Associate with the Community & Economic Development Program. A number of rural counties throughout North Carolina have used local environmental problems and concerns to spur economic development.   In response to closed landfills, escaping methane gas from the landfill … Read more

              Paul Winn is a Masters Student of City and Regional Planning and a graduate student assistant working with Lenoir County. Today, the City of Kinston presented its final plan for the Martin Luther King corridor to the Golden Leaf Foundation for funding approval.  The requested $422,000 … Read more

Paul Winn is a Masters Student of City and Regional Planning and a graduate student assistant working with Lenoir County. Funding for streetscape improvements along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Kinston have been submitted to the Golden Leaf Foundation for final review.  The funding would allow for … Read more

Paul Winn is a Masters Student of City and Regional Planning and a graduate student assistant working with Lenoir County. A conceptual plan for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) of Eastern North Carolina was produced in 2004 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in partnership with G … Read more

  Tyler Mulligan is a School of Government faculty member. A New York Times article today covered Pfizer’s announcement that it will be leaving New London, Connecticut, the city at the center of the landmark eminent domain case, Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005). In Kelo, a 5­‑4 m … Read more

North Carolina Rising is a year-long project by UNC-TV, funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation.  The project has examined “success stories” of rural NC communities that were once dependent on agriculture but are now transitioning to other areas of economic development.  There have been 12 segments tha … Read more

A prior post mentions economic gardening.  Economic gardening is a grow from within approach to economic development, putting most of the focus on entrepreneurship instead of luring the big businesses to an area.  It is not a new strategy/approach, although it seems to be increasing in popularity in … Read more

North Carolina local governments frequently use cash grants as an economic development incentive to lure businesses into their respective jurisdictions. The grants are authorized under the Local Development Act, G.S. 158-7.1 et seq., but a quick read of the statutes might obscure the need for a publ … Read more