INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shock to the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission’s (IND15RPC) regional economy and was the impetus for this plan. In addition to significant loss of life around the region, long-term health impacts to some, and considerable pain and suffering for families and friends, the pandemic exacerbated an already tough economic situation. The pandemic furthered job loss and reduced revenue for the local and regional workforce. Businesses struggled to close the supply chain gap, fill vacant positions, and recruit a talented workforce to the region. The pandemic also revealed and drained the limited resources found in rural regions. Initial response to the pandemic focused on limiting financial losses, supporting small businesses and their employees, and accelerating public health support.

To address this destablization in the economy, and create a more resilient economy for the region now and in the future, the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission (IN15RPC) embarked on a process to create a regional vision and strategy that will allow the Indiana 15 Region to quickly recover after a disruption or shock. This disruption or shock could be anything from a downturn in the local, national, or international economy which impacts demand for locally produced goods and consumer spending to a downturn in a particular industry that is a critical component of the regional or local economy. Even an external shock such as a natural disaster like a flood or tornado, or the closure of a major employer, or even yet, another pandemic can create a shock or disruption to the economy.

This was accomplished by examining COVID-19’s impact on the region, and articulating the aspirational vision and supporting goals for recovery and ongoing success of the region. The vision and goals will ultimately be implemented through a series of detailed strategies and supplemental action plans for recovery and resiliency, organized under the following six topic areas, or “Pillars”: Economy, Education, Housing, Infrastructure, Quality of Life, and Governance.

These strategies and accompanying action plans will be used by the IND15RPC staff, local economic development organizations (LEDOs), municipalities, and other groups in the immediate and distant future as the IND15RPC communities work to attract new residents, job opportunities, and quality of life amenities while continuing to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local economic development specialists, including local economic development officials (LEDO) staff, IND15RPC staff, chambers of commerce, and elected and appointed leaders often become the primary resource for recovery information, coordination, response to questions, and grant administration or funding allocation for federally funded recovery initiatives. This plan seeks to better prepare these organizations and individuals in their ongoing roles for the increased responsibilities they will have during and after a disruption. Successful resiliency and recovery strategies must be collaborative efforts. The response efforts listed above required coordination between multiple levels of government, diverse agencies and organizations, businesses, and residents. Preliminary reports show that those groups or regions that were already organized, collaborating, and planning ahead were best prepared to capitalize on various recovery programs. Going forward, the IND15RPC region must continue recovery efforts for the pandemic, but also identify those strategies that will increase local and regional resiliency for the next unknown shock.