Tackling 21st century economic development challenges requires robust private sector engagement. Fostering the growth of nonprofit economic development organizations is a promising strategy to build partnerships with the private sector in Gateway Cities. Through these entities, business leaders work collaboratively to help fashion economic development projects, initiatives, and policy advocacy. While these groups are generally
Those who tell the stories, rule the world
“Those who tell the stories rule, the world” goes the proverb. Gateway City leaders know firsthand that there’s still a lot of truth in this old wisdom. Too often, the performance and potential of Gateway Cities are defined by those on the outside who have little understanding of the struggle. When we make policy based
Leading Together
Four Case Studies of Successful Gateway City Initiatives
Responding to the challenges brought about by industrial change requires strong leadership, but the changes themselves have eroded the leadership capacity of Gateway Cities. Corporate consolidation leaves fewer committed private sector leaders with a long-term vision at the civic table. The rapid pace of economic change creates more residential turnover. Declining household income means residents
The Lawrence Story
Partnerships boost student performance and strengthen the community
MassINC is working hard to find new ways to tell the story of Gateway City Leaders. This video and the related case study describe Lawrence’s community partnership model. Jeff Riley, the leader appointed to transform the Lawrence schools in 2012, immediately set about extending the school day to offer students a wider array of learning opportunities.
Going for Growth
Enhancing the Economic Impact of Public Transit in Gateway Cities with Comprehensive Service Planning
This new policy brief examines how best practices in transit planning can benefit Massachusetts’s Regional Transit Authorities. Massachusetts’s Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) have an opportunity to improve their existing service and make the case for more funding from the state by making the most of a new planning requirement from the legislature. That’s the key
From ‘Little Italy’ to the Pythian Temple
Our latest report, “Going for Growth: Promoting Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts Gateway Cities” explores creative new models to support the development of ethnic business districts. Efforts to support immigrant entrepreneurs are gaining momentum. New Bedford recently had a visit from Marci LiMandri, the president of San Diego-based Next City America. Li Mandri has worked to
Going for Growth
Promoting Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts Gateway Cities
This policy brief explores opportunities to leverage the energy immigrant-owned businesses bring to Gateway Cities as an economic development strategy. Immigrant-owned shops are already revitalizing downtowns in Gateway Cities across the state. These small storefront businesses could become launching pads to larger enterprises, providing an even greater contribution to local and regional economic development. But
Paul Krugman: Sprawl may be to blame for low social mobility
Champions of older cities long ago criticized suburbs (or, worse, exurbs) on aesthetic grounds. Then they pointed out the environmental damage of sprawl. Now comes data suggesting that the dispersal of homes and jobs from urban areas is bad economics. This week New York Times columnist Paul Krugman used the occasion of Detroit pleading bankruptcy
Luck of the map: Away from the coast, “legacy cities” are still shrinking
New population estimates released last month showed that several major cities on the East Coast, including Boston, are in a period of renewed growth — while mid-sized urban areas, including most of the Gateway Cities in Massachusetts, are growing at a slower pace and have a more uncertain economic future. The situation is bleaker in
Youth Violence Prevention Initiative Threatened by House Budget
The fate of The Safe and Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI), a violence prevention strategy focused on young men between the ages of 14 and 24 who are at risk of being victims or perpetrators of violence, now lies with the conference committee reconciling the House and Senate budgets. While the Senate Budget proposal included $4