ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS

The Met Council is undertaking an effort to provide local governments with economic information and technical assistance. The goal is to give communities more insight into what drives the region’s economy and their local economy. Communities may elect — but will not be required — to incorporate this information into local comprehensive plans.

It’s one way we are working with our partners to help the region compete in the global economy.

New data for local governments

We are developing information and tools to help communities identify and analyze:

  • The geographic distribution of businesses that drive the regional economy.

  • The real estate requirements of these economic drivers.

  • Sites for economic growth.

  • Our region’s freight and distribution system and connections to the global economy.

  • The geography of the workforce and access to jobs.

The Council is working with partners, such as DEED, the University of Minnesota, MnSCU, GREATER MSP, and others to produce this information.

We will also provide technical assistance for communities who seek advice on how to apply these resources to their local planning and development activities.

What's new

In the Summer and Fall of 2015, our staff set out to learn more about historic and emerging trends in the site selection decisions of the region’s Core Industry Clusters through the distribution of an on-line survey to the Metro Area’s membership of the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks and the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. In addition to the on-line survey, Council staff conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with professionals involved in different strata of the site selection process for our region’s core industry clusters.

Two documents summarizing responses received via this process are linked below, and can provide communities with an important perspective that may be of use when considering policies related to local land use and economic development. Interested communities are also invited to reference the survey that was distributed, also linked below, as a potential template or starting point for similar efforts at a local level.

This information is intended to enrich the quality of resources being developed for the Local Planning Handbook, and to serve as potential “conversation starters” for local communities as they consider planning and development issues. Communities are encouraged to continue to refer to the Local Planning Handbook for updated information and resources as they become available.