The opioid epidemic has left no community untouched, but its effects are not only a public health crisis. In economically distressed communities, it also exposes weaknesses in the systems that support family stability, workforce participation, and community well-being. Although communities may have health departments, social service agencies, nonprofits, treatment...
In a recent blog post, my colleague Colt Jensen stated, “Definitions are not just academic. They shape who gets served, what gets funded, and how success is measured.” He was speaking about how understanding specific contexts and definitions of being a “rural place” is critical for community and economic...
This post, co-authored by Crista Cuccaro and Tyler Mulligan, also appeared on the Coates’ Canons Local Government Law Blog here. Increasingly, local governments engaged in economic development discussions—particularly involving data centers and other large-scale projects—are being asked to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before substantive conversations can begin. While such...
Community and economic development practitioners working in rural places often run into a deceptively simple problem before they ever pick a strategy, write a grant, or define a service area: deciding what counts as “rural” in the first place. It seems like it should be straightforward. We all know...