While a dominant institutional brand can be a powerful driver of growth, overreliance on a single entity may limit a community’s broader economic potential. TIP’s recent strategic planning work in College Station, Texas, illustrates how communities—particularly university towns—can leverage world-class institutions while cultivating a distinct local identity that attracts and retains talent, businesses, students, and visitors alike.
For many destination towns, the phrase “we live where you vacation” is a point of pride that masks an economic threat. When residents and essential workers are priced out by rising housing costs, a community risks losing the very identity that draws visitors in. Strategies from Cape Cod demonstrate how creative land use and regional collaboration can preserve local social fabric.
Preserving the Social Fabric of Destination Towns Through Affordable Housing Read More
As the median age of first-time homebuyers reaches record highs, the US housing landscape is shifting toward a model of attainable belonging. Beyond providing housing stock, build-to-rent (BTR) developments are bridging the gap between flexibility and stability by allowing residents to put down roots regardless of their mortgage status. As the model grows, it raises new questions about zoning compatibility and long-term impacts on affordability.
Build-to-Rent: Attainable Community Belonging Amid a Housing Crisis Read More
Opportunity Zones (OZs) have been a major focus for economic developers and investors nationwide. While OZ 1.0 showed mixed results, OZ 2.0 offers a permanent, more transparent framework for implementation. Communities that align priorities, build readiness, and coordinate investment now will be best positioned to capture private capital and deliver meaningful economic and community outcomes.
Across 30 years of engagements, TIP has learned that strategy only matters when it drives visible movement. President Tracye McDaniel examines how communities translate plans into visible progress through strong governance, real-time measurement, and adaptive tools. Her insights underscore why implementation now distinguishes regions that merely prepare for the future from those actively building it.
In 2014, Chester County launched VISTA 2025, a 10-year economic development strategy developed with TIP Strategies to guide growth while preserving the county’s character. We recently connected with Mike Grigalonis, President & COO of the Chester County Economic Development Council, to discuss how the plan’s goals have taken shape over the past decade.
Resilience depends on more than infrastructure. It requires strong places that connect people and support local enterprise. TIP’s projects in Texas and Florida illustrate how placemaking strategies preserve identity, enhance business recovery, and attract new investment. Communities that weave placemaking into their planning are better prepared to withstand disruption and sustain long-term economic growth.
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of community competitiveness, but true destination development requires thoughtful stewardship. Lessons from Park City, Utah; Stowe, Vermont; and West Virginia show that by protecting natural assets, reinvesting in infrastructure, and ensuring residents and visitors enjoy the benefits of outdoor recreation growth, communities can build resilient, long-term economies.
Balancing Destination Development with Stewardship Read More
For 30 years, TIP has led the field in thinking holistically about growth, emphasizing how place-based factors like quality of life, housing, and community connection drive economic success. Senior partner Jeff Marcell explores how this approach to placemaking helps communities attract talent, foster innovation, and build the social fabric that sustains long-term prosperity.
Large-scale redevelopment projects like deck parks can unlock long-term economic value—but only with vision, patience, and strategic alignment. Drawing on examples across Texas and the US, VP John Karras shares lessons for practitioners navigating complex efforts involving infrastructure, placemaking, and public-private partnerships, with an emphasis on how communities can prepare for transformational change over decades, not years.
How Long-Term Planning Powers Major Urban Redevelopment Projects Read More
