Economic Development

LUTED Economic Development Resource Guide Economic Development Strategy

Through data sharing, collaboration and proactive planning, DVRPC works with the region's economic development partners to make the Delaware Valley Region an attractive environment for new and expanding businesses, for residents, and as a premier tourism and cultural center.

DVRPC houses the most up-to-date census and other data, state-of-the-art Geography Information Systems (GIS), Aerial Photography and various other economic, employment, housing, environmental and transportation reports and information.

Integrating Land Use, Transportation, & Economic Development Planning

Meeting Highlights February 27, 2007 [58k .pdf] November 17, 2006 [45k .pdf] June 4th, 2007 [63k .pdf]

The overall goal of this project is to foster enhanced communication, coordination and consistency between the goals and policies of regional land use and transportation plans and economic development strategies and among economic development and planning agency staff in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Berks, Mercer, Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties).

A key context for the study is the requirement in the new Surface Transportation Act (SAFETEA-LU) calling for strengthened linkages between metropolitan planning organization land use and transportation plans and local economic development planning. The counties and municipalities of southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey have prepared comprehensive plans and adopted zoning ordinances to guide land use and development in their communities, including the need for expanded or improved sewer and water facilities and multi-modal transportation projects and services. Countywide economic development plans and action strategies have also been developed by various agencies, reflecting goals and policies to attract jobs and generate tax base growth, building upon current educational levels, worker skills and physical assets.

State agencies, like PennDOT, NJDOT, the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Environmental Protection, are often tasked with responding to economic development proposals through a commitment to support or provide needed infrastructure improvements. A more integrated decision-making and information-sharing approach could serve as an "early warning system" for pertinent state and local agencies in response to proposed economic development projects. The goal of this effort would be to achieve more coordinated planning in terms of both land use and infrastructure issues and identify a prioritized list of economic development and infrastructure projects for the region.

Economic Development Resource Guide

A Post-Global Economic Development Strategy

The development of the US economy has been fundamentally shaped by the availability of abundant, low-cost energy. There is growing consensus, however, that a major change in the global energy regime will impact the economy shortly. The question is not if, but rather how soon and how much. Efforts will be needed to create alternative energy sources, to increase energy efficiency, and to redesign major urban systems. Economic globalization may also be radically redirected as a new "post-global" paradigm emerges which includes elements of both globalization and localization.

To harness the economic potential of these changes, this report recommends that economic development entities in the region begin retooling their efforts. As part of a comprehensive economic development strategy, this report also recommends making smarter transportation investments, coupling these investments with more sustainable land-use patterns, fostering clusters in emerging eco-industries, and maximizing the value of these initiatives by eco-branding the region as a sustainability center.