Aggressive Economic Development

North and South Carolina are aggressively diversifying their economies to survive a devastating loss of the region's manufacturing base.

1 minute read

January 20, 2004, 9:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The Carolinas continue to revamp and diversify their economies as they try to weather the storm that has seen much of their traditional manufacturing base, especially in textiles, unravel over the past three years. North Carolina has lost nearly 30,000 textile jobs since the start of 2001. South Carolina lost 4,200 textile jobs during the year running from September 2002 to September 2003. Both states see various forms of high technology as their salvation... North Carolina state officials are touting their latest economic-development tool, the job development investment grant program (JDIG), giving it credit for bringing in 1,580 jobs and $50.5 million in investment during a six-month period (May to October) in 2003. Created by the General Assembly in 2002, JDIG provides grants to new and expanding companies deemed 'strategically important.' "

Thanks to Chris Steins

Friday, January 16, 2004 in Wall St. Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” philosophy.

1 hour ago - Transportation for America

Group of e-scooters messily parked on street in London with black cab in background.

The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t

Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.

2 hours ago - Bloomberg CityLab

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

3 hours ago - Outdoor Life