Economic Gardening - AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

n 1987, the City of Littleton, Colorado pioneered an entrepreneurial alternative to the traditional economic development practice of recruiting industries. This demonstration program, developed in conjunction with the Center for the New West, was called "economic gardening."

We have had many communities visit us and inquire about the program over the years. In an effort to provide a concise summary of our original thinking and the evolution of that thinking during the first years of the program, we present here a synopsis of our experience.