What is Vision Hampton Roads?
Vision Hampton Roads is ...
- A region-wide economic development strategy based on the collective strengths of all localities of Hampton Roads, created with the input of business, academia, nonprofits, government, military and citizens;
- A five-year roadmap of objectives, strategies and actions to cultivate our region to be the place where people want to live, learn, work, visit, play and raise families;
- An action plan to guide state and local governments in decision-making toward common goals and objectives that are regionally viable, and enable us to measure our progress in terms of better, high-paying jobs, highly educated workforce, increased per capita incomes, and enhanced entrepreneurial supports for new business; and
- A transformational process to propel our region into the dynamic future that we collectively envision, one that benefits all of our citizens.
How
was
this
Vision
for
the
Hampton
Roads
Region
Developed?
- Process – consistent with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economic Development Administration's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), a process was used to qualify our region for federal funding as part of the Federal Economic Development District Designation.
- Strategy Committee – encompassing elected officials, community leaders, military installations and federal labs, small and large business interests, universities, nonprofits, and citizen and community groups – an oversight group was formed to guide the effort with the Hampton Roads Partnership providing coordination and support and the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission providing assistance and economic analysis.
- Sub-committees – representing each of the three current drivers of our regional economy, Federal/Military, Port/Maritime, Tourism/Arts & Culture, as well as Opportunities, to capture emerging areas for expansion and strengthening of our economy, sub-committees held regular meetings to address strengths and weaknesses in their respective areas and develop plans to address those.
- Work – based on a model developed by the nonpartisan Brookings Institution, showing that prosperity is based, not on jurisdictional boundaries but on regions, our work followed regional assets coming together: Innovation, Human Capital, Infrastructure, Quality Places.
- Retreat – held to vet the proposed plan with the larger Strategy Committee and to provide an opportunity for crosstalk among the Sub-committees.
- Strategies and Actions – finalized for the plan and posted for public comment.
- Public Comments – incorporated and the final document was submitted to the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration for approval.
What
is
the
goal
of
Vision
Hampton
Roads?
With proper foresight, continuous planning, and dynamic economic development, Hampton Roads will be recognized internationally as a region fueled by Innovation, Intellectual and Human Capital, Infrastructure and Sense of Place.
What happens now?
Blueprint – Vision Hampton Roads becomes a blueprint – not just a document – for how best to build our region into a thriving global powerhouse, integrated into local community planning, by meshing assets and opportunities into a finely tuned economic engine.
Implementation – Vision Hampton Roads includes “Strategic” and “Operations-Tactical” components and converts existing Sub-committees into action-oriented, working Task Forces. The Hampton Roads Partnership serves as Program Manager for both components of the Vision’s Action Plan and deals with Public-Government Awareness and Policy.
“Strategic Component” – addresses enhancement of the big demographic, economic and environmental forces with Task Forces focused on:
- Innovation –
new
products,
processes
and
business
models
- Led by Innovate!HamptonRoads, a Hampton Roads Partnership program
- Intellectual
and
Human
Capital –
education
and
skills
that
further
innovation
- Led by the region’s workforce investment boards: Opportunity, Inc. and Peninsula Council for Workforce Development
- Infrastructure – transportation, telecommunications and energy distribution
- Sense
of
Place –
special
mix
of
distinctive
communities
and
regional
identity
- Led by a number of regional efforts including the Urban Land Institute's Reality Check 2012
“Operations-Tactical
Component”
–
implements
specific
actions
with
the
greatest
short
term
impact
on
maintaining
and
growing
the
existing
pillars
of
our
regional
economy
and
nurturing
regional
assets
that
can
diversify
our
economy
driven
by
the
Task
Forces
whose
objectives
are:
- Federal – Premier mission-ready region hosting critical federal assets
- Port/Maritime – Premier East Coast Seaport
- Tourism/Arts & Culture – Premier year-round destination of distinction
- Opportunities – Centers of excellence fueled by a culture of innovation
Leveraging expertise – For maximum efficiency, each of these task forces will be managed by existing organizations and groups in our region with relevant authority for maximum efficiency.
How will progress be measured?
Initially, we will track the ten (10) indicators in the Economy section of Hampton Roads Performs:
- Business Start-ups
- Employment Growth
- Modeling & Simulation
- Net Migration2011_Vision HR Dashboard_JuneFINAL
- Personal Income
- Port / Maritime
- Poverty
- Research & Technology
- Unemployment
- Workforce Quality
We will also track two (2) additional indicators related to Transportation:
Download the Vision Dashboard for these measures at-a-glance.
How
can
I
learn
more?
View participants, the process and outcomes at VisionHamptonRoads.com.
How can I get involved?
Join a Task Force! Take part in the action. Email us at Contact@VisionHamptonRoads.com.