Planning Local Economic Development: Theory and Practice

Since the appearance of the First Edition in 1990, Planning Local Economic Development has become the foundation for an entire generation of planners and academics teaching planning. Building on the success of its predecessors, the Third Edition continues to explore the theories of local economic development and address the dilemmas communities face. Blakely and Bradshaw investigate planning processes, analytical techniques, business and human resource development, as well as high-technology economic development strategies. Written by academics with many years of regional and city planning experience, this book will prove invaluable to professors of economic development, urban studies, and public administration. Economic development specialists in local and municipal government, as well as nonprofit organizations, will also find this an essential reference.

• Case studies, illustrations, and exercises demonstrate how each theory can be employed in a real-world setting
• Sample resource materials facilitate the development and design of program plans
• New arguments for implementing local economic development initiatives
• Thoroughly updated to reflect the financial boom of the 1990s and subsequent collapse, the policies of the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, and the aftermath of September 11