Best Practices in Economic Development & Land Use Planning Educational Tool Library

The Best Practices in Economic Development and Land Use Program drives communities to pursue excellence in  economic development and land use practices and recognizes communities that have established best practices. The program can be used to engage community stakeholders in discussions about how to achieve higher standards and develop creative, community-specific ways to implement them. In 2019, The Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS), the professional association of economic developers in Connecticut, in collaboration with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) developed a certification program to encourage best practices in municipal economic development and land use to spur continuous improvement. In pursuit of these best practices, planners and economic developers can use this program to engage community stakeholders in discussions about how to achieve higher standards and develop creative, community-specific ways to implement them. The three goals of this program are to:

  • Improve the overall quality of economic development services by creating process standards;
  • Drive communities to pursue excellence in land use and economic development by recognizing communities with best practices
  • Accelerate sharing of best practices among community decision-makers

Application information on the CEDAS website

Economic Development & Land Use Community Toolbox

NEW! BEST PRACTICES COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

New Haven, Connecticut Small Contractor Development Program

Best Practices in programing supporting women and minority owned businesses By Jade Hardrick & Laura Brown 11-2020

Click here to download the PDF.

Farmington, Connecticut – Charles House

Best Practices in community engagement by Jade Hardrick November, 2020   Click here to download the PDF.

Norwich, Connecticut – Global City Norwich

Best practices in supporting business and cultural awareness by Jade Hardrick November, 2020 Click here to download the PDF.

The Best Practices Program is a unique collaboration between UConn-Extension,  Connecticut Economic Development Association, and the CT Chapter of the American Planning Association.