Economic Development Assessment of Small Towns & Rural Communities
In 2022, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) hired Barrett Planning Group to assess local economic conditions and the state of economic recovery in the 35 small towns and rural communities in Hampshire County and Hampden County. We consulted with local officials, town planners, and regional economic development and community development organizations, and gathered, analyzed, and mapped available market, economic, land use, housing, and labor force data.
From these many sources and others, we created 35 town profiles with maps and economic metrics, and developed recommendations for PVPC and the communities to move forward with economic development activities scaled to the size and character of these small communities:
- Improving regional communications and coordination
- Activating strategies for promoting local businesses
- Addressing the region’s housing affordability and housing supply constraints
- Holding regional and inter-local economic development roundtables
- Building recreational, agricultural, and heritage tourism development
- Zoning reform: aligning local control with twenty-first century zoning
- Working on local economic development assessments
On December 9, 2022, American Planning Association Massachusetts awarded the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission the 2022 Planning Project Award to this project.
Learn more about other award recipients here:
https://www.apa-ma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-APA-MA-Awards-1.pptx.pdf