Regional Development

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Summary of Findings:  There are many reasons to engage in formal regional collaboration. Extension conducted interviews with four regional development commissions and reviewed the annual reports for all ten regional development commissions. From this research, the following themes emerged as roles that the regional development organizations play in their respective regions.

• Working together to raise and resolve issues affecting communities. Formal structures, such as regional development commissions, provide an avenue to bring forward and advocate for crucial community level issues. Communities across a region may be struggling with a similar issue, for example, local and regional food access. While a single community alone may not be able to address this issue, with regional collaboration, plus access to state and federal resources, the region may make progress. 

• Bringing state and national resources to communities within the region. Formal structures are recognized at both the state and national levels. As such, when programs and initiatives are rolled out, these formal authorities are relied upon to bring resources to local communities. Without the formal structure, the distribution of resources can be ad hoc or non-existent in the region. 

• Providing leadership during emergencies. When there is an emergency, a single community or group of communities is often engaged in emergency management activities. Leaders in those communities may not have the capacity to be strategically prepared for recovery efforts. A formal regional structure can be designated to  identify and leverage resources, such as grants and loans for businesses. 

• Identifying and connecting key partners. While creating strategic partnerships often happens organically in communities or local regions, once the geography gets larger, it is harder for any single community to identify and connect with the partners needed to complete a project. Formal structures, often with a leadership board, can assist communities in leveraging partnerships for larger projects. 

• Creating necessary structures to receive funding. Many federal, state, and local programs are flexible in terms of potential recipients of funds. A major consideration among certain granting agencies, however, is the capacity of a potential grantee to carry out a project and maintain the infrastructure long-term. This factor favors larger, well-established organizations, putting smaller communities at a disadvantage. The presence of a regional development organization helps demonstrate that a project has value to a broader region, making it more competitive, particularly for federal funding. 

• Connecting across industries and issues. Within a region, collaborations and partnerships tend to form around either an issue (ex. workforce) or an industry (ex. manufacturing or medical). Regional planning structures can help make connections across both industries and issues, widening the potential scope and impact of any single project or organization. 

• Enhancing existing resources to increase efficiency. Individual communities may possess resources that can be used to advance planning or economic development projects and goals. By working with a formal regional planning organization, the community can seek to leverage those resources more effectively to achieve their goals. 

• Sharing expertise and providing technical assistance. Another critical role of a formal planning and economic development structure is the organization’s ability to provide expertise and technical assistance. Individual, community-level projects may require a particular expertise. By employing staff with specialized skills, communities in the region can utilize the skills to execute a project, for rates that are typically lower than hiring an outside consultant.

• Convening regional leaders for education and sharing opportunities. Formal regional structures also provide opportunities to share education and best practices. A single community may not have enough interested residents to host a workshop or training opportunity, but on a regional level, it may be feasible. In addition, a formal structure typically includes a board or commission. Bringing in speakers and subject matter experts allows leaders in the region to learn together about pressing issues.

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