CURA projects related to economic development and employment encompass both neighborhood- and community-level projects, as well as state and regional economic analyses. Recent CURA projects in this area have included analysis of the local economic impact of the arts and artists, identifying tourism opportunities in rural communities, facilitating local food production and distribution, analyzing the effect of the North American Free Trade Argreement (NAFTA) on the state's economy, evaluating foreign direct investment in Minnesota, identifying regional job-housing mismatches, and evaluating the comparative impacts of various workforce development strategies.

CURA programs that support projects in the area of economic development and employment include:

• Center for Community and Regional Research (Duluth campus)
• Community Assistantship Program (CAP)
• Community Geographic Information Systems (CGIS)
• Faculty Interactive Research Program (FIRP)
• Fesler-Lampert Chair in Urban and Regional Affairs
• Kris Nelson Communkty-Based Research Program (Nelson Program)
• Resilient Communities Project (RCP)

CURA Contact: Will Craig