Outdoor Recreation as an Economic Driver

Playing the Long Game: Turning a Superfund Site into a Community Asset

What does it take to transform a former Superfund site into a thriving community asset? In Charleston, the answer involved decades of remediation, an innovative flood resilience solution, and a developer willing to play the long game. In this episode, Clark Davis shares how his team took a former EPA Superfund site from contaminated to livable, engineered a solution to remove the property from the flood zone, and broke ground on a $2.5 billion mixed-use district that includes affordable housing, parks, and a mile and a half of public waterfront walkway. We also get into the community engagement strategy behind the project, including the restoration of a neighboring African American cemetery, and what Clark looks for in a community when evaluating where to take on a project like this. Resources Mentioned: * Livability's Top 100 Best Places to Live [https://livability.com/best-places/top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/] * Highland Resources Website [https://highlandresourcesinc.com/] * Magnolia Landing Website [https://www.magnolialandingchs.com/] ____ 00:00 Overview of Magnolia Landing: A relief valve for Charleston's historic district 06:10 Why they're not building to maximum density 08:10 The remediation process and what it took 11:04 The trip wall and flood zone reclassification 14:58 Housing mix and affordability 17:02 Restoring a neighboring African American cemetery 21:49 Community engagement and managing concerns 24:53 How Magnolia Landing supports Charleston's livability legacy 27:01 Advice for EDOs looking to attract this type of development 28:11 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, [http://livabilitymedia.com/] we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content [https://livability.com/] and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com [http://livabilitymedia.com/] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3632893/admin/feed/posts/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Livability], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/livability/] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/mylivability]. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com [aellis@livability.com]. Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions [http://speakeasyproductions.co].

Revitalizing Existing Office Space: A New Incentive Approach

When you have less than 4% of land left, you stop thinking about what to build and start thinking about what to fix. That's exactly what Sugar Land, Texas did with their brand new Office Readiness Program. In this episode, Jennifer Alexander, Business Development Manager for the City of Sugar Land, shares the details on a first-of-its-kind initiative in the region that offers up to 50% reimbursement on eligible improvements for both tenants and property owners, tied to real performance benchmarks. We also discuss how hybrid work is reshaping what tenants actually want, why Sugar Land retired its headquarters retention program in favor of this approach, and what other communities should consider if they want to design something similar. Resources Mentioned: * Sugar Land's Office Readiness Program [https://sugarlandecodev.com/incentive/office-readiness-program] * Livability's Top 100 Best Places to Live (#3 - Sugar Land) [https://livability.com/tx/sugar-land/?top-100=2026] At Livability, [http://livabilitymedia.com/] we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content [https://livability.com/] and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com [http://livabilitymedia.com/] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3632893/admin/feed/posts/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Livability], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/livability/] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/mylivability]. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com [aellis@livability.com]. Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions [http://speakeasyproductions.co].

Balancing Expansion and Community Character: Nashville's Growth Blueprint

When jobs, population, and opportunity surge, so do affordability pressures, housing shortages, and the risk of losing the very character that made your community attractive in the first place. In this episode, Stephanie Coleman, President & CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce [https://nashvillechamber.com/], shares how one of the country's fastest-growing regions is approaching that balance with 35 years of intentional regional planning, deep cross-sector collaboration, and a renewed focus on making sure growth works for everyone, not just newcomers. She also reflects on how the Chamber's role has evolved from convener to active problem-solver, and what that shift means for other communities navigating their next chapter. 00:00 Introduction 01:43 Managing unprecedented growth without losing community character 04:36 Partnership 2030: How Nashville's regional plan has evolved 08:39 Workforce and talent: biggest challenges and how Nashville compares 12:53 Maintaining collaboration as new players enter the market 14:59 Balancing the needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities 18:38 How Chambers have evolved over the past few decades 22:35 Stephanie Coleman's advice for others 24:15 Fun closing question At Livability, [http://livabilitymedia.com/] we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content [https://livability.com/] and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com [http://livabilitymedia.com/] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3632893/admin/feed/posts/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Livability], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/livability/] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/mylivability]. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com [aellis@livability.com]. Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions [http://speakeasyproductions.co].

Place Marketing Strategies That Work: Print, AI, and Public Art

Place marketing isn't just marketing anymore. It's recruiting, community building, and storytelling all at once. In this episode, destination storytelling expert Kristin Luna shares what's working in place marketing right now: why print still has a role, how AI is reshaping the way communities need to think about their online presence, and how public art can be one of the most accessible and cost-effective tools for building a community's identity. Because the best marketing for your community works for tourists and future residents at the same time. Resources Mentioned: * 2026 Tennessee Vacation Guide: https://www.tnvacation.com/guide [https://www.tnvacation.com/guide] * Kristin's Blog, Camels & Chocolate: https://www.camelsandchocolate.com/ [https://www.camelsandchocolate.com/] * Kristin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunaticatlarge [https://www.instagram.com/lunaticatlarge] ____ 00:00 Introduction 01:39 Kristin's background in journalism and place marketing 2:54 Economic Development Marketing vs. Talent Attraction Marketing 06:49 The most important parts of a place marketing strategy 09:00 Where print fits in today's marketing landscape 12:43 How AI is reshaping place marketing 16:19 Anyone can be an ambassador? 21:27 How public art contributes to place branding 26:25 Maintaining community character through growth 31:24 Fun closing question ____ At Livability, [http://livabilitymedia.com/] we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content [https://livability.com/] and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com [http://livabilitymedia.com/] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3632893/admin/feed/posts/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Livability], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/livability/] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/mylivability]. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com [aellis@livability.com]. Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions [http://speakeasyproductions.co].

Outdoor Recreation as an Economic Driver

For many communities, the outdoor economy is still treated as a soft amenity rather than a serious economic lever, even though it generates over $650 billion in economic impact each year. In this episode, Ross Berlin, Senior Consultant at Fourth Economy [https://www.fourtheconomy.com/ross-berlin], makes the case for why that needs to change. We dig into how outdoor assets connect directly to talent attraction in the modern economic development equation, get practical about the challenges (seasonality, overcrowding, equity of access), and how communities can work through them to maximize the economic impact of what they already have. 00:00 Why outdoor recreation matters as an economic development topic 02:45 The data and impact 05:45 Defining the outdoor economy (it's bigger than you think) 08:33 Benefits of investing in outdoor recreation 11:38 Challenges economic developers face 14:31 Competition between communities 17:42 How outdoor rec fits into talent attraction campaigns 20:41 Preservation and "champagne problems" 24:58 Equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation 28:27 Final thoughts and fun closing question Resources Mentioned: * The Amenity Trap: https://headwaterseconomics.org/outdoor-recreation/amenity-trap/ [https://headwaterseconomics.org/outdoor-recreation/amenity-trap/] At Livability, [http://livabilitymedia.com/] we highlight the nation's most vibrant small and mid-sized cities as a trusted voice for communities across America. We help places attract talent and reach target companies through digital content [https://livability.com/] and print magazine programs. Be sure to subscribe so you're alerted when we release new episodes. Learn more about us at LivabilityMedia.com [http://livabilitymedia.com/] and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3632893/admin/feed/posts/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/Livability], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/livability/] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/mylivability]. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email host Amanda Ellis at aellis@livability.com [aellis@livability.com]. Inside America's Best Cities is produced by SpeakEasy Productions [http://speakeasyproductions.co].