Requirements for activating local economic development projects within the framework of strategic plans for small cities to achieve Sustainable Development, (Case Study: Samanoud City)

The local economic development (LED) creates economic projects and activities thatsupport the local communities’ economy through the involvement of all stakeholders to createjob opportunities that are suitable for their skills, which improves living standards and qualityof life while lowering poverty rates. Strategic planning for LED helps cities in general andsmall cities in particular to increase their capabilities to cope with potential risks that hinderlocal economies, which is why the study of the local economy and investment plans wasincluded in the methodological framework for preparing urban strategic plans. It wasdiscovered through monitoring and analysing the city of Samanoud's strategic plan, whichserves as one of the small cities in Egypt, that there is a significant gap in the implementationof LED projects following the adoption of the strategic plan. This is because a significantportion of the proposed LED projects were not carried out for a variety of administrative,financial, legislative, and planning issues. To address these issues, a framework for promotingLED was put forth. It was separated into two groups based on priority, referred to as "highestpriority and lowest priority," and each group has some requirements, including the creation ofa fund organization to support start-up projects and the provision of legislation to support thefund's organization. Improving the urban and economic environment, encouraging the privatesector, and making people in charge of local administrations more aware of the significance ofLED projects will make the implementation more successful through strategic plans.