In Spring 2019, graduate students in the economic development studio class completed a semester-long planning project for the city of Galax, investigating redevelopment options for a large industrial building within the city’s boundaries. The building, known to Galax residents as the T.G. Vaughan Building, was a former furniture factory and once an important part of…
OED Graduate Assistants Help NRV Children’s Museum Plan For The Future
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Children’s museums are important for a child’s early growth and development, as graduate assistants from Virginia Tech’s Office of Economic Development (OED) discovered while performing an organizational analysis of the Children’s Museum of Blacksburg. The museum has relocated to Christiansburg’s New River Valley Mall and will reopen soon under the new name Wonder Universe. The…
How Children’s Museums Can Sustain Themselves in an Internet World
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While there is an enormous body of literature on how children’s museums can be more effective in enhancing children and adults’ experience during their visit, there are fewer studies addressing the economic sustainability of such cultural institutions. The OED GA’s were tasked this semester to find viable solutions and best practices for children’s museums, we…
Aquaculture and Seafood in Virginia
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I have always said Virginia doesn’t get enough credit and my recent research into the state’s seafood industry has given this statement some additional weight. Unbeknownst to me, Virginia is home to the nation’s largest shellfish industry and the nation’s third largest aquaculture industry for 2016. During that same year, Virginia growers and fisherman sold…
What does smartness mean for a city?
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With massive investment being made in building smart cities around the world, it is important to question if it is worth building them. To answer this question, we first need to understand what does smartness mean? Smart city is a multi-dimensional concept that came into the limelight in the early 2000s. The first few attempts…
Green New Deal, or No Deal?
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When we as a nation think about our economy how often do we also think about the environment? Often these two topics are disaggregated from one another. However, they should be thought of together. In moving towards renewable energy sources, public transportation, human health, housing affordability, and emerging workforce opportunities play a vital role for…