growth of our commercial tax base and the creation of new jobs. Obviously these things are important, but they are not (or should not be) the sole definition of economic development. Economic development does not occur in a vacuum, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development that suits all geographies and communities. We don't need to reinvent the proverbial wheel, but neither should we take outdated or failed development models designed for Levittown, or 1970s suburbs, or the gated communities of the 80s and 90s, and transplant them here. I think we can do better.

I believe that we are stewards of our built environment every bit as much as we are of our physical environment. Our built environment and the human ecosystem it supports requires awareness and diligent care if we are to maintain our quality of life while fostering constructive growth and progress. Civic dialog over the past decade has been fractured by division into camps whose polar extremes might fairly be categorized as "Sprawlmongers" vs. "No Growth Anywhere Ever". Personally, I prefer smart growth with proactive economic development and urban planning, and those topics, plus regular updates on EDA initiatives, will be the focus of this blog. Along with the occasional rant just to keep myself in heart.