The Living Room of Rural Communities: Rural Economic Development in New Tecumseth

The landscape of rural southern Ontario is evolving as local governments are adjusting to accelerating rates of affordability, shifting demographics, and access to resources and labour. Paired with the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments have adapted to the shifts by re-evaluating plans and curating sustainable strategies to combat the unprecedented challenges. The support in downtown renewal strategies and business parks to revive the economic core of communities is reflective of increasing pressures to assist commercial spaces following the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding economic development following the COVID-19 pandemic, the pressures for communities to provide competitive, employable and attractive commercial spaces are being potentially reduced with a minimal pool of resources. The purpose of this project is to identify the role downtowns and business parks have within rural economic development and the post-pandemic environment. Specifically, this project highlights how the town of New Tecumseth and other southern Ontario communities have navigated the accelerating shifts in the responsibilities through policy, planning, and economic development. The town of New Tecumseth provides a unique case study that links rural, urban and agricultural heritage while building on literature provided about other communities in the region. The findings from the project can provide further insight in fulfilling a research gap in rural economic development in southern Ontario.