Regional Economic Development
Like many land grant universities, Cornell helps communities to achieve their economic development goals. The Community & Regional Development Institute (CaRDI) supports local and regional development through its primary focus on community development. Based in the Department of Development Sociology, CaRDI's programs of applied research and outreach are motivated by a concern for understanding the determinants and consequences of societal development, and a desire to produce knowledge and educational programs that contribute to the alleviation of social problems, while creating opportunities for improved well-being (social, economic, and ecological) both at the local level and throughout the United States.
CaRDI's programming seeks to build community capacity – the knowledge, skills, attitudes and resources community members need to proactively and collaboratively identify, pursue and achieve their development goals, including those of an economic nature. CaRDI uses several methods to build capacity, including: Research, Facilitation, Education, Technical Assistance, and Infrastructure Development.
To learn more about our approach to community economic development, see our Research and Policy Brief on this topic by clicking here. Projects we are and have been working on with the goal of supporting local and regional economic development in NYS and across the country, as well as related tools from across the Land Grant University System and funding sources are available below.
CaRDI and Stronger Economies Together
- Tioga County and the Southern Tier Explore BioEnergy
- Central NY
- Northern NY
Regional Planning Grants - HUD
HUD will be issuing another round ($70 million) of Regional Planning Grants this next year, and some of the SET Regions might be suitable candidates for such a grant. These are three-year grants that call for communities to develop strategic land use/transportation/economic visions for their regions in the hope that future federal infrastructure investments can be guided by the plans. Six “Livability Principles” are a guiding force behind the plans, mostly encouraging greater coordination of public investments, encouraging Main Street revitalization (vs sprawl onto farmland), etc. Rural regions are guaranteed some of the money, and grants typically ranged from $500k-$1million in fy10. All the rural regions that applied in FY 10 received funding. This does require a major commitment, however, to a long term public engagement process to develop a plan with broad public support.
Click here for the NOFA for FY 10. The FY 11 NOFA will be coming out soon and should be similar to last year.