NGIN is a practitioner-led organization designed to invent and deliver products that drive more prosperous and inclusive regions. Read more...
The Greater Chatham Initiative
The Greater Chatham Initiative is developing and driving the implementation of a comprehensive strategy to revitalize the Chatham, Auburn Gresham, Avalon Park and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods on Chicago’s south side. Read more...
Neighborhood Business Planning
This training presents the rationale and structure of a new approach to comprehensive neighborhood economic development: ”neighborhood business planning.” Read more...
Chicagoland FOOD
The Chicago region's food and beverage cluster organization, driving inclusive economic growth by serving as a hub for the Chicagoland food & beverage industry Read more...
Chicago TREND
Chicago TREND combines innovative predictive analytics, deal brokering and financial products to support “retail on the leading edge” of emerging neighborhood markets. Read more...
This document is the culmination of an innovative, two-year effort to develop an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of strategies and initiatives to drive growth in four contiguous Chicago neighborhoods:…
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Positioning Your Neighborhood for Economic Development
March 17, 2016
Delivered by RW Ventures, Chicago TREND and the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, this pair of training sessions were designed to help communities pursuing retail, industrial land use, small business or…
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NeighborWorks NBP Training
February 12, 2016
Originally developed as a two-day training for HUD Choice Neighborhood program grantees, this presentation was delivered to grantees from NeighborWorks America’s Catalytic Grant Program. The training presents the rationale and…
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Chicago TREND
June 15, 2015
Chicago TREND (Transforming Retail Economics of Neighborhood Development) combines innovative predictive analytics, deal brokering and financial products to support “retail on the leading edge” of emerging neighborhood markets. The new…
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Chicagoland FOOD – Seizing the Opportunity to Grow Chicagoland’s Food Industry
May 25, 2015
This report, written in partnership with the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), highlights the opportunities for driving inclusive regional growth through the collaborative development of the Chicagoland region’s food manufacturing…
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Chicago TREND Background Presentation
May 12, 2015
Chicago TREND (Transforming Retail Economics of Neighborhood Development) combines innovative predictive analytics, deal brokering and financial products to support “retail on the leading edge” of emerging neighborhood markets. The new…
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Integrating the Practices of Urban Planning and Economic Development
March 15, 2015
This paper was prepared as background for a convening of national experts to explore how the fields of urban planning/design and economic development can better inform each other in practice…
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Linking Regional Economic Clusters with Targeted Urban Places in Indianapolis
August 12, 2014
This set of documents reflects recommendations for leveraging urban industrial corridors in Indianapolis, Indiana in ways that support high-growth-potential regional clusters. The project was undertaken by RW Ventures in partnership…
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Economic Place-making: How to Develop a “Neighborhood Business Plan”
May 15, 2014
Developed as part of a two-day training for planning and implementation grantees from HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods program, this presentation walks through the logic and structure of a new approach to…
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Partnering for Prosperity: An Economic Growth Action Agenda for Cook County
April 1, 2013
Prepared for Cook County by its Council of Economic Advisors, Metropolis Strategies and RW Ventures, this Action Agenda begins by addressing Cook County’s role in the regional economy, in light…
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Regions Charting New Directions: Metropolitan Business Planning
June 21, 2012
These three presentations outline the key drivers of economic growth in the next economy, articulate the concept of “metro-economics” and describe the approach of Metropolitan Business Planning. The first two…
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Milwaukee Framework for Economic Growth
June 12, 2012
The Milwaukee 7 (M7) released a draft of its Framework for Economic Growth at the November meeting of its Regional Economic Development Advisory Council. M7 engaged public, private and civic stakeholders from…
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A Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs
March 17, 2012
The plan was developed at the request of Mayor Rahm Emanuel by World Business Chicago and a team of consultants, including RW Ventures. It begins with an overview of the…
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The Chicago Region’s Green Economic Opportunities
January 30, 2012
This report, written jointly by RW Ventures and Innovation Network for Communities, explores opportunities for Chicago-area firms arising from the increasing market demand for energy- and resource-efficient products and services….
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MyHomeEQ Launches
November 11, 2011
MyHomeEQ, a joint venture of RW Ventures and CNT Energy, officially debuted in the Chicagoland market as part of Energy Impact Illinois (EI2), a CMAP-led initiative for more energy-efficient buildings. As the online…
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Metro Chicago Exports launches
September 29, 2011
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin and the Chief Executives of Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties convened on September…
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Driving Regional Economic Growth: Opportunities for Cook County
August 31, 2011
This presentation, delivered by Bob Weissbourd to the Economic Development Foundations Working Group of Cook County, provides an overview of how the different pieces of the economy fit together and…
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Metropolitan Business Plans: A New Approach to Economic Growth
March 4, 2011
Prepared in partnership with the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program for “Global Metro Summit 2010: Delivering the Next Economy,” this policy brief formally introduces the concept of metropolitan business planning,…
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Dynamic Neighborhoods: New Tools for Community and Economic Development
June 2, 2008
The Dynamic Neighborhood Taxonomy (DNT) project provides new analysis on how urban neighborhoods operate, how they change over time, what factors determine their success and how these dynamics vary across…
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The City that NetWorks: Transforming Society and Economy through Digital Excellence
May 27, 2007
This report, prepared for the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Bridging the Digital Divide, outlines a comprehensive plan for achieving universal digital excellence, as vital to the future of a global…
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The Kansas City Region: Economic Opportunity in the Heartland
April 6, 2005
The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program hired RW Ventures and Alen Amirkhanien to complete a preliminary assessment of Kansas City’s economy in the context of the Heartland region. This study…
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Banking on Technology: Expanding Financial Markets and Economic Opportunity
June 11, 2002
This paper, co-sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Financial Services Roundtable, led to the business planning and creation of the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI). Originally housed at…
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Rebuilding Community: The Entrepreneurship Project
February 1, 1994
Prepared by Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance and Bob Weissbourd (when at Shorebank Advisory Services, Inc.), this Start-Up Business and Implementation Plan describes a project to open a loan production office…