Photo taken by John Doe

Strategic Plan

Quincy, Illinois

Located on the Mississippi river, at the heart of a 16-county region, Quincy has one of the most historic city centers in Illinois. Recently, it has faced many challenges, including an aging population and talent retention and attraction. Recognizing this, the city of Quincy moved to develop a strategic plan to position itself for the next 10 to 15 years. The plan was crafted to focus on four key areas: Economic Development; Downtown and the Riverfront; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Arts, Recreation, and Tourism. While these topics are broad and varied, they all point in the same direction—how to make Quincy an attractive, dynamic, and economically diverse and prosperous place.

Our Approach

Development Strategies engaged closely with a task force group of over 150 residents, civic leaders, and business owners organized by the city, as well as with the public through two public meetings and online surveys. Utilizing analysis of current conditions as they relate to the four focus areas, as well as peer city benchmarks, Development Strategies worked with the task force group to develop a set of goals, objectives, strategies, and implementation tools that formed the core of a Strategic Plan document to guide future public and private initiatives in the city.

The city is moving forward with several key initiatives, including completing a riverfront master plan and regional transportation plan, establishing a public arts commission, creating a workforce attraction program, and starting a high school entrepreneurship program.

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The desire for a common, compelling vision in our community was the impetus for Quincy Next…. if we have the courage to follow through with even half of the recommendations provided to us in the Quincy Next Plan, the opportunities for growth and innovation will know no bounds within our city limits. Our children and their children will look back at this moment in time and thank us for having the courage to look within ourselves, to ask hard questions, and to make changes that maybe felt a little uncomfortable at the time, but were necessary to spark a period of growth that had not been seen in our city for decades."

- Mayor Kyle A. Moore, 2018 State of the City Address