THE 1994 PLAN FOR PROGRESS

The initial Plan for Progress was created in 1994 when a number of Pioneer Valley community, business, education, and political leaders came together to develop a plan calculated to move the region from recession to robust economic growth. This effort was mirrored in a call from the Weld-Cellucci administration for a statewide economic development plan focusing on regions across the commonwealth. The purpose of the Plan for Progress was to unite the Valley’s various stakeholders around a common agenda for improving the region’s economic vitality and sustainability.

Over the last decade, the Plan has operated on a number of regional strategies that are managed by strategy teams and the Plan for Progress Coordinating Council. The Plan for Progress also established a group of trustees to shepherd the Plan and to support the implementation of its strategies. Since 1994, the strategies have been  measured and revised by the trustees to keep the Plan relevant and responsive to changing economic conditions.

THE 2004 PLAN FOR PROGRESS

In early 2003, Plan for Progress stakeholders determined that it was time to overhaul the Plan and began a major process of gathering data, conducting focus groups, rewriting and updating strategies, and reaching out to involve new players in the Plan’s future. The result of this undertaking, the 2004 Plan for Progress, features a  description of our region today, including demographics, geography, regional assets,  employment, and education data. It follows the same successful model of its predecessor, centering on strategies that have been developed through focus groups, research, and business community participation. The 2004 Plan identifies these thirteen strategic goals as critical for growing the people, companies, and communities that grow the region:

• Attract, retain, and grow existing businesses and priority clusters
• Promote small business and generate flexible risk capital
• Advocate efficient regulatory processes at all levels of government
• Integrate workforce development and business priorities
• Improve and enrich pre-K to 12 education
• Support higher education and retain graduates
• Recruit and train a new generation of regional leaders
• Market our region
• Revitalize the Connecticut River
• Enhance high-tech and conventional infrastructure
• Develop an array of housing options
• Endorse a regional approach to public safety
• Champion statewide fiscal equity

In addition to the bedrock strategic goals, the Plan for Progress now lists seven cross-cutting themes that strategy teams must consider in their action plans in order to meet the region’s goals: cross-border collaboration (with the greater Hartford region), diversity, education, industry clusters, sustainability, technology, and urban investment.

See the PVPC calendar for upcoming Plan for Progress meetings and events

The Plan for Progress (pdf)

Plan for Progress Trustees(pdf)

Plan for Progress Presentation Request Form (pdf)