Food is in the news, and CED professionals should look below the surface images and arguments to a fundamental question raised about local capacity issues important to the NC farm and food industry. In honor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Food for All all-university 2015-2017 aca … Read more

The real estate development process can become increasingly complex as new requirements are added to a project’s scope. Even when a project is on-schedule, it can be abruptly interrupted by the requirement of a government-mandated traffic impact analysis (TIA). TIAs can be costly and time-consuming, … Read more

According to a recent study, infrastructure is one of the most important drivers of real estate investment. This illustrates how the government, and local municipalities in particular, can play a significant role in supporting private real estate development. Supplying public infrastructure can be o … Read more

The economic recovery in the U.S. has not gained enough steam in order to produce significant increases in private investment and job creation.  While the overall unemployment rate has steadily declined, the level of joblessness, particularly for certain segments of the workforce, remains very high. … Read more

Al Czervik is a real estate developer who has invested in several shopping malls and mixed-use developments across the Tar Heel state. He is planning a mixed use development called “Gopher Commons” in your community, but “in order to make the numbers work,” he claims that he needs local government a … Read more

Rick Morse is a School of Government faculty member. The fiscal climate for local governments (rural communities in particular) is daunting. Local governments are in a state of fiscal crisis and the long term forecast is not encouraging. Many use the term the “new normal” to express the sentiment th … Read more

Lisa Stifler is a Research Associate with the Community & Economic Development Program. Historically, rural communities throughout the country and this state have lagged behind urban areas when it comes to rural infrastructure, whether power, paved roads, water and sewer, phone lines, mobile pho … Read more