Helping Communities Shine

Whether researching and implementing ways to shape a community's economic development plan or partnering to create ways to put people to work, CREC connects researchers and policymakers with:

     • Data training
     • Custom portfolios that aid regional competitiveness

Project Profile

Mountain West Community Revitalization Plan

Southwestern Commission Council of Governments
Start Date: Jan 2015 — End Date: Dec 2015

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) partnered with the University of Northern Iowa’s Institute for Decision Making (IDM) to complete a Community Revitalization Plan as part of the America’s Best Communities Prize Competition. Building on past strategic planning efforts and public engagement for this effort, the team developed a planning document that focused on seven key goals.

Plan Your Economic Future

About the Client

Southwestern Commission Council of Governments

The Southwestern Commission was created in November 1965 by concurrent, joint resolution of the counties and municipalities within the seven county region. It was within this same time period that COGs all across the U.S. were formed. Initially, the driving factor behind this movement was money.  Between 1965 and 1975, state legislatures and the US […]