Local government leaders say economic gardening can help grow their economies

November 2010

Economic gardening is a new economic development strategy used to grow local economies by cultivating existing businesses, rather than, or in addition to, hunting for new businesses to relocate from the outside. This report presents findings about economic gardening and related activities in communities across Michigan, as well as the opinions of Michigan’s local government leaders about whether or not the strategy can succeed in their communities. The report is based on statewide surveys of local government officials conducted in the Spring 2010 wave of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS)