In our new blog series, we’re excited to share a little bit about what we’re up to each month, and what’s going on in the state and region that could affect various agencies and units of local government.
For this first blog, we decided to give you a short, guided tour of some of the things we do here at the NIU Center for Governmental Studies, highlighting some of the less familiar things we do.
- Community Planning – Throughout Illinois, communities large and small are committed to developing land-use, economic development, and age-friendly community plans so they can serve residents to the best of their ability. And we feel fortunate to be a part of that exciting process! Here are a few examples.
- Age-Friendly Community Action Plans – We know that Illinois residents are aging. Soon the population over 60 will outnumber children for the first time in history. We’re excited to help Illinois communities meet aging residents with creativity – helping them identify the age-friendly housing, livable communities, shops, arts centers, outdoor spaces and other amenities that make communities great for older and younger residents alike. An example we’re proud of is this award-winning Age-Friendly Community Action Plan that our researchers worked on with the City of Woodstock.
- Economic Development Plans – Another project we’re really proud of is the Sycamore Economic Development Playbook, created in collaboration with the City of Sycamore’s Economic Development Commission as part of their 2021 comprehensive plan update. Because this report was prepared in conjunction with the comprehensive plan update, the city has a guide to economic growth that is coordinated with its future land use plan.
- Strategic Plans – We have a long history of working with local governments on their strategic planning processes. In fact, we usually assist with 20-25 plans a year. And for the past few years, some of the strategic plans have been combined with comprehensive land use plan update efforts. In our experience, an effective strategic planning process brings together many different stakeholders to identify goals and visions for the future – as well as the strengths and challenges that will affect an organization’s ability to achieve those goals. Contact us to learn more about how we can help with your strategic planning, and watch our blog for some strategic plan examples, coming soon.
CGS: Strategic Planning Model
- Collaborative Studies for Regional Development – Our researchers love to collaborate with state and regional agencies and nonprofits to better understand and address pressing issues related to healthcare, economic growth, workforce and education, regional industries, shared development strategies, and more.
- An example we’re happy to have been a part of is this analysis of food systems in northern Illinois, conducted in collaboration with the Chicago Region Food System Fund, the Illinois Farm Bureau and the DeKalb County Community Gardens. It’s the first step toward implementing a robust regional food systems network that can withstand supply chain challenges.
- Up-to Date Training for Local Governments – We’re also proud to say that our Civic Leadership Academy has been active for two decades, providing quality professional development for civic leaders. We’re even more proud that our courses have evolved each year to meet the needs of local governments, with new courses addressing pressing current needs such as de-escalation, community events, understanding economic data, and zoning practices.
- In addition to scheduled CLA courses, we also provide custom training at your location to help you better serve your community.
We hope you’ve learned a few things about CGS that you didn’t know before. But this is only a small snapshot of what we do. Take a look here on our “Services and Practice Areas” pages to learn more.
And keep watching this blog to meet our team members, see some of our latest work and research, and hear about issues that are relevant to civic leaders.
