With broad institutional knowledge, strong partners, networks, and staff expertise, RDOs are well-positioned to support numerous regional development initiatives. Many coordinate regional planning efforts that strengthen local communities and improve quality of life by leveraging local assets and opportunities. Most RDOs are also federally designated Economic Development Districts that write and maintain the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).
The CEDS is a locally-based, regionally-driven economic development planning process and document that identifies regional strengths and weaknesses. It also brings together a diverse set of partners to generate good jobs, diversify the economy, and spur economic growth.
Through a variety of planning efforts, RDOs also promote economic and climate resilience to better prepare regions to anticipate, withstand, and bounce back from shock, disruption, or stress. These shocks can include natural disasters, hazards, and the impacts of a changing climate. Economic disruptions such as the closure of a region’s large employer, the decline of an important industry, changes in the workforce, and population fluctuations are also possible. Finally, RDOs work to better incorporate equity and economic inclusion principles into their plans, programs, and outreach efforts to ensure that all residents have an opportunity to help shape their community’s future.
This resource provides tips and best practices drawn from the experiences of EDD staff who have managed fee-for-service or contract planning services in their member communities. Though these EDDs are based in the Southeast, the lessons learned are applicable to EDDs across the country.
A career with an EDD or RDO offers the chance to make a meaningful, lasting impact on the communities and regions you serve. In this video, you’ll hear from four experienced leaders in regional economic development as they reflect on their career paths, the impact of their work, and what it takes to succeed in the field.
This case study demonstrates how University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (UADA Extension) partners with all eight EDA-designated Economic Development Districts in Arkansas to strengthen regional capacity, with a focus on its long-standing collaboration with the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District (WAPDD). It highlights how coordinated efforts in training, data sharing, and community facilitation have evolved into a scalable, locally rooted model for university–EDD partnerships.
In 2023, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG) in eastern North Carolina received funding to hire a dedicated staff member to establish a Community Forestry Program. The new position allowed UCPCOG to expand its regional service offerings and respond to growing member interest in urban and community forestry as a tool to support livability, resilience, and local capacity building, particularly in economically distressed communities with limited staff and resources.
This webinar showed how cluster strategies align business, workforce, and public investment, shared real examples from Economic Development District staff using cluster analysis, and outlined practical steps for regions to launch or strengthen their own cluster initiatives.
This resource page includes a variety of information on Opportunity Zones, including background information, updates on the designation process, mapping and data tools to support informed planning and decision making, and materials about local planning and implementation considerations.
As counties, towns, and cities across the country explore how to manage new demand for data centers, Economic Development Districts (EDDs) can serve as important partners in the decision‑making process.
In March 2023, Tyson Foods announced the closure of its Glen Allen, Virginia facility, leaving hundreds of local poultry growers and their 265 farmer‑owned production houses without long‑standing contracts. This case study examines how a broad coalition of regional partners, including the Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC), the area’s Economic Development District (EDD), mobilized to respond and chart a path forward.
Read how the Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) in southern New Hampshire has evolved its approach to the CEDS over time, both graphically and structurally.
The discussion focuses on how regional planning expertise can support partners seeking to translate childcare challenges into actionable economic evidence.
This video highlights how the Mid-Shore Regional Council is driving economic growth and prosperity across Maryland’s Eastern Shore. As the region’s Economic Development District, Mid-Shore fosters collaboration among local governments, businesses, and community leaders.
This report examines the drivers of the childcare challenge and the impact it has had in communities across the country.