New ways of thinking about economic development.

• Author: Kinney, Anne Spray
• Position: From the editor - Editorial

The deep recession and slow recovery call for rethinking economic development strategies. Adding new jobs, increasing property value, and building infrastructure are all vitally important activities, but we also need to consider new tools, recognize the importance of citizen participation, and consider outsourcing options. This issue of Government Finance Review highlights new ways local governments are looking at developing their economies.

Combining thoughtful planning with innovative financing strategies, the City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, is turning a substantial brownfield site into a visionary development. In A New Era of Development: Rock Hill's Brownfield Renovation Project, David Vehaun details how the city and its private-sector partners made all the pieces fit together to generate long-term benefits.

Citizen Attachment: Building Sustainable Communities, by Mark A. Glaser, Misty R. Bruckner, and Corinne Bannon, discusses the need for community and local government to find ways of applying available resources to best serve our communities. Working with citizens to transform their relationship with government can produce sustainable solutions.

Finding out what is truly important to residents is a critical element in assessing the value of government services. Back to the Base: Citizen Involvement and the Budget Process, by William SaintAmour and Tom Huggler, explains how citizen feedback...