CUED

Illinois Five-Year State and Regional Economic Development Strategy

Project Description and Background Information

The Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA) is in the second year of a five-year initiative to establish a long-term economic development strategy for the State of Illinois. This project is the result of the "State and Regional Development Strategy Act" (PA 91-476) signed into law by Governor George H. Ryan in August, 1999. In part, the law requires DCCA to establish a consensus on a long-term economic development strategy-to be updated annually-that recommends legislative, administrative, and programmatic action for promoting sustained economic growth at both the State and regional level.

To be successful, this strategy requires input and commitment from local and regional economic development organizations, local elected officials, community-based organizations, service delivery providers, and other organizations whose programs and activities significantly affect regional economic vitality. As the project partner for the Northeastern Region, the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Urban Economic Development (UIC/CUED) has been coordinating activities in Lake, DuPage, Cook, Will, and Kankakee counties.

Activities completed by DCCA and project partners include:

• established the process for strategic planning for economic development in Illinois, described in The Five-Year Regional Development Strategy: A Strategic Plan for Economic Development in Illinois (February, 2000);
• surveyed economic development stakeholders across the state to help determine the strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, and issues within each region affecting economic vitality;
• reviewed and analyzed socio-economic data within each region to assess economic activity across the state;
• held summit meetings in each region during the spring of 2000 to develop a vision for each region, identify key issues, and establish area economic development priorities;
• published reports for each region that include research findings and summit meeting conclusions;
• published the second edition of the Five Year State and Regional Development Strategy (February, 2001), which defines current economic conditions and the impact of the new economy; sets out a framework for state and regional economic development issues that identifies 15 goals and 40 objectives; and describes the next steps required to carry out the plan.
• held summit meetings in each region during the spring of 2001 to develop specific legislative, administrative, and programmatic actions to address the goals and objectives identified by attendees of last year's regional Summit Meetings.

CUED is currently preparing this year's report for the Northeast Region. To review this material and submit comments, please see the box at the top of this page. For more information, send email to cameron@uic.edu

• Final Report for the Northeastern Metro Region
• State and Regional Development Strategy Act (PA 91-476)
• Strategic Planning Regions
• The Five-Year Regional Development Strategy: The "Plan to Plan" (February 2000)
• 2000 Survey
• Five Year State and Regional Development Strategy (February 2001) A Strategic Plan for Economic Development in Illinois (February 2001)
  
  
  
  
  

  Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies	Southern Illinois University Carbondale Office of Economic and regional Development	University of Illinois Springfield Institute for Public Affairs	Western Illinois University Illinois Insitute for Rural Affairs

Ordering Information

This website is maintained by Cedric Williams, Manager System Services,
UIC-Center for Urban Economic Development