Colorado Briefs Panel | Clark Anderson and Cole Judge

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This project has been a significant undertaking for the people and communities of the Gunnison Valley. Before we talk about the strategy that has come out of this effort, lets recall what this was all about.

First, this project is about responding to change.

Within that context, this project was about creating a forwarding-thinking vision for the region – about what this place is and what it could become, based on who we are and what we value. And it was also a call to action recognizing that vision alone isn’t good enough – a clear-eyed approach to how you reach the vision is equally important. Yet OVPP goes further than that, too, because a list of actions is also insufficient without a sober assessment of the resources and capacity we have to carry them out. This project – and the strategy you’ll be looking at tonight – tackles all of that: vision, action and the resources and capacity needed to make it happen.

So where did we land?

First, you should recognize that this is a pretty bold strategy. There will be some people who will feel like it doesn’t include enough – like there are actions or strategies that aren’t included that should be. Trust me, those ideas were discussed; its easy to create long lists of everything we’d like to do. But the people that worked on the strategy and its action plans worked hard to focus in on priorities that can make a difference to only include actions that we can realistically accomplished. And even with that focus, implementing this strategy is going to be a big lift. A really big lift. You can do it, but its going to take work, focus, coordination and, frankly, some real effort to dump some old political baggage that is holding this region back and hurting your ability to take control of your future.

Second, its important to note that this strategy is not common. This ain’t your garden variety, mainstream economic development plan. In fact, aspects of this plan are completely different than – and even run contrary to – many of the core precepts of conventional economic development approaches. In that sense, this is a pretty interesting and forward-thinking strategy.

For example, for decades, economic development has focused on attracting business and industry – using public dollars as incentives – from somewhere else. This strategy bucks that paradigm – its focused on growing jobs locally, supporting local businesses, encouraging local entrepreneurs. Rather than using public dollars to incentivize big businesses from somewhere else, this strategy focuses on investing in local assets and the quality of place.

Similarly, many economic strategies implicitly support very inefficient patterns of growth. This strategy has a strong focus on growing efficiently – on encouraging investment in existing communities and revitalizing places like downtown Gunnison.

What about affordability or poverty? Most economic strategies ignore these issues all together. This strategy has a strong focus on each of these issues – it recognizes that affordable housing is critical to the region’s economy and, just as importantly, the character and vitality of its communities. Lack of affordability is hollowing out similar communities around the state – this strategy is taking that issue on directly.

We want to hear what you think, but from my vantage point – and I work with a lot of communities on these things – this is a pretty unique approach. I think it’s a good one. The biggest question is can we do it? Can we implement this? That remains to be seen – it’s going to take support from everyone and a lot of leadership.

PUMA: A national leader in downtown and community development
Known for our market-based planning approach and ability to stimulate inclusive community engagement, we care deeply about our clients and the communities in which they live, work and thrive. Our team values long-term relationships with downtowns, commercial districts and neighborhoods – large and small. We embrace the opportunity to spark the ideas that make a place more vibrant while retaining the characteristics that define it as the unique place it is. Our plans are crafted with realistic and implementable strategies to take clients to the next level.

Urban place management, economic development, strategic planning

Economic center – tax revenue, employment base, land value, productive
Inclusive – diverse, welcoming, foreign-born, millennials
Vibrancy – walkable, retail mix, commercial land use mix, density, expanse of users
Identity – sense of place, identity, brand of region, cultural significance, public art, civic and entertainment uses
Resilience – mixed-use nature, mobility connections, diversity

Downtowns average 3% of citywide land area, but significant ROI based on its size. DTs punch above their weight.
(These figures are averages.)

What do your foresee in the future of your efforts? Dream big and share your vision.

PUMA and DCI are working on a framework of what types of organizations are best in what type of city and what stage of organizational growth.

PUMA makes the economic case and develops strategies to promote places that are healthy, welcoming and offer meaningful opportunities for all community members. PUMA has been a leader in this area for years. Showing how social equity benefits the downtown economy (and other research backs this up), PUMA does work on active living and healthy places and integrates it into all that we do.

Seattle – Will the last “middle class person” leaving Seattle turn out the lights?

What do your foresee in the future of your efforts? Dream big and share your vision.

Downtowns are back! Now, how do we deal with the problem of success?

Colorado Briefs Panel | Clark Anderson and Cole Judge

National Research Center, Inc.

Colorado Briefs Panel | Clark Anderson and Cole Judge