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Log CM for AICP

Slide Presentation

Economic Trends and Transformations

Public Pockets, Private Projects: Innovations in Economic Incentives

Sunday, April 26, 2026
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM CT
Location: HPCC, Room 330AB
CM: .75
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Division Endorsement: Economic Development Division
As communities refine their economic development programs, financial incentive strategies, and neighborhood planning priorities, community benefits scorecards are emerging as essential tools. They help align municipal operations with both the needs of developers and the aspirations of local neighborhoods.

For urban planners, these scorecards offer a structured framework to embed equity, transparency, and long-term planning goals into development review. They support the evaluation of how proposed projects contribute to housing, mobility, infrastructure, and land use, thereby ensuring growth is inclusive and sustainable.

This presentation explores how two communities advanced the creation of community benefits programs, scoring rubrics, and application materials for the standardized review of developers' financial-incentive requests. By emphasizing accountability and transparency, this process levels the playing field for developers, community members, and decision-makers, while giving planners a consistent tool to guide policy and assess impact.
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Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the importance of standardizing the incentive review process, including key steps and financial tools for reviewing developers' requests.
  • Explore strategies for targeted stakeholder engagement — including interviews with real estate developers, brokers, and municipal staff — to contextualize priorities and scoring mechanisms within local market realities.
  • Conduct a competitive analysis of a municipality’s existing programs, using a comparison matrix of peer cities to identify gaps in economic development strategies, initiatives, and incentive tools.