The Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporations is assisting Clemson Extension in the purchase of a number of books that may benefit our strategic planning efforts. If any of you are interested reading either text as we continue our discussions of goals and objectives, please let me know.

Rise of the Creative Class – Richard Florida

Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. Mary Whaley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Smart Communities-Suzanne Morse

Based on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, Smart Communities provides directions for strategic decision-making and outlines the key strategies used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities. Smart Communities offers leaders from both the public and private sectors the tools they need to create a better future for all the community's citizens. Using illustrative examples from communities around the country, Smart Communities shows how these change agents' well-structured decision-making processes can be traced to their effective use of seven key leverage points:

· Investing right the first time
· Working together
· Building on community strengths
· Practicing democracy
· Preserving the past
· Growing leaders
· Inventing a brighter future