Local Economy Centers
Local Economy or Livability Centers are places where the new 'local economy' is being built.
Centers house grassroots, community-focused economic development in action ('action' is the key verb). There are many strategies for rebuilding our local economies. It takes years to develop the ecosystem needed to support long-term jobs and market demand. If we know this takes years, we better get motivated and moving in that direction.
Over the last few decades our economy has changed tremendously! Just ask the older members of our community how life has changed during their lifetime. We went from no phones to switchboards to corded home phones and public phone booths to cell phones and the internet. We went from mostly local food to almost no local food. We went from a regional production and manufacturing culture to importing most of our goods from other parts of the country and world.
Local Economy Centers are places working to rebuild local economies which support needed, valuable local jobs. Centers are popping up where local, sustainable agriculture is having a birth or rebirth. Or in places where people are redefining health and healthcare and looking to more whole-person solutions. Or in communities that recognize art and culture as a driver for innovation and productivity.
Activities taking place in a Local Economy Center include incubation, visioning, research, planning, economic analysis, training, awareness-building, innovation, feasibility assessments and testing. Local Economy Centers embrace new and old thinking about what it means to be a healthy, resilient community and enables this positive vision to come to life.