How Does Our

County/Region
Measure Up?
Erie County -0.1%
PA 3.4%
Populaton Loss/Gain 2000-2010
Erie County $43,595
PA $50,398
Median Household Income
Erie Region 2.79%
US 23.03%
Increase in Number of Workers 1980-2010
Erie Region 0.43%
US 19.43%
Increase in Number of Jobs 1980-2010
Erie Region 16.1%
US 20.8%
Portion of Labor Force with High Skill Level
Erie County 23.6%
PA 26.4%
Percentage of People (Age +25)
with at Least a Bachelors Degree 2010
Erie County $111,300
PA $159,300
Median Home Value

Before we can start Erie Countys

journey towards its DESTINATION,
we need to know where we are now.
The Destination Erie Consortium examined the
trends and conditions that are driving the future of
Erie County and the five-county Erie Region (Erie,
Crawford, and Warren Counties in Pennsylvania,
Ashtabula County in Ohio, and Chautauqua County in
New York) and found:
The Erie Region faces significant challenges. As
the chart to the left shows, growth in our population,
workforce and jobs have all been flat and we lag
behind the state and nation in important areas.
The rate of poverty in Erie County exceeds that of
Pennsylvania as a whole and more than one out of four
Erie County children (28.0% in 2013) live in poverty.

Reaching Our DESTINATION

But it will be worth it. Over the next 25 years, we

will be able to see the Erie County of the future
emerge from the Erie County of the present.
In recognition of this opportunity, the effort to
implement the Destination Erie Regional Plan
has been named Emerge 2040: A Focused
Partnership for the Erie Regions Future.

At the same time, the Erie Region has significant

strengths and assets. The portion of our population
made up of full- or part-time university students is 25%
larger than that of the country as a whole and these
students can become our workforce of the future.
We have real depth in a number of industries and the
potential for even greater strength in others through
local research and development.
We attract 4 million visitors every year to Presque Isle
alone and have the natural resources necessary to
attract visitors year-round.

EMERGE2040
A Focused Partnership For The Erie Regions Future

Plans are only good intentions

unless they immediately
degenerate into hard work.

Over the last three years, more than thirty-five

hundred residents from every corner of Erie County
lent their ideas and efforts to help create the
Destination Erie Regional Plan, a 25-year strategy for
Erie Countys future.

Peter Drucker

The Destination Erie Regional Plan

accomplishes two goals:
It defines our DESTINATION by describing the future
Erie County residents have said they want; and,
It provides us with a ROAD MAP, a set of
recommendations and initiatives that we will need
to undertake to reach our destination.

DESTINATION ERIE:

A REGIONAL VISION

www.Emerge2040.com

Destination (dst-nshn) n.
1. The place to which one is going
2. The ultimate purpose for which something
is created or intended
From Latin destinatio(n-), Make firm,
establish for a particular purpose.

Our DESTINATION: Erie County 2040

We have a strong civic infrastructure network made up

of 1,400 non-profits and volunteer groups with revenue
and expenditures of more than $1.2 billion annually.
The Destination Erie Regional Plan outlines how we
can use our strengths and assets to overcome the
challenges we are facing.

ROAD MAP

This document provides an overview and summary of the Destination Erie Regional Plan. To read the
whole plan and find out more about the Destination Erie effort, please visit www.Emerge2040.com.

Emerge 2040 will keep Erie Countys

communities talking with one another to
identify opportunities to become more
efficient and more effective.

The graphic to the right, shows that from 1980-2010 we built almost 20
new homes for every net new person added to Erie County. Residential
construction and the infrastructure needed to support it have not been
matched by an increase in
taxpaying households. This is
New Residents v. New Residences in Erie
just one example where we
County, 1980-2010
may have allocated resources
more efficiently had our
communities been working
together more closely toward
1 Resident = 19.6 Housing Units
a shared regional vision.

A DESTINATION and a
We all plan for our futures, but we rarely plan for all
of our futures. Destination Erie fills this need for Erie
County. It is the first attempt by our region to think
and work together on our future in a comprehensive
way. And it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity
to combine good data and Erie values into an
approach to building a future that works for all of us.

Emerge 2040 will extend the

collaboration that was built
through Destination Erie and will
work to inspire and catalyze action
throughout the Erie Region toward
the shared vision for our future
described in Destination Erie.

Even though our population hasnt grown, we continue

to spread out, using more and more land and building
costly additional infrastructure, to the point where only
15% of our neighborhoods can be considered affordable
in terms of housing and transportation costs.
Our economy is not diverse enough and higher-paying
sectors and industries are under-represented in our
region. And the high-skilled portion of our workforce is
smaller than that of the rest of the country and many
are nearing retirement.

OV E RV I E W A N D S U M M A RY

ERIE COUNTY has crossed the finish line to create the Destination Erie
Regional Plan, but we are just at the starting line to put the plan into action.
Implementing the Destination Erie Regional Plan will take years of combined
effort of Erie County residents, businesses, institutions, and governments. It
will require creativity, investment, and advocacy to build and maintain this
effort and take full advantage of the opportunities it provides.

A twenty-five year strategy to create a more

sustainable, resilient, and prosperous Erie County

By 2040, Erie County will be a nationally celebrated

success story. We will be known for our unique
heritage, our natural settings, our strengthened,
diversified economy, and our livable urban,
suburban, and rural neighborhoods.

and concentrations of poverty. Our region will have

overcome barriers to regional collaboration and
coordination and will have created new synergies
among local and state governments, universities, local
institutions and foundations, and businesses.

By 2040, Erie County will have successfully addressed

the key challenges facing us today, including our
need for a regional economic strategy and our high rates

Our ongoing success will be built on leveraging our

assets, correcting our shortcomings, and focusing
our priorities on protecting, preserving, and building
upon the things that make Erie County great.

THRIVING
EDUCATED
GREEN
LIVABLE
CONNECTED

ERIE

Why Erie County Needs a Regional Plan

THE$ERIE$REGION$is#a#place#where#businesses,#neighborhoods#and#families#THRIVE,#
where$EDUCATION#is#valued#and#seen#as#a#pathway#to#success#and#fulllment,#where#
the# natural# ENVIRONMENT# is# conserved# for# future# genera9ons,# and# where#
communi9es# are# LIVABLE# and# CONNECTED,# both# within# Erie# County# and# with# the#
larger#Great#Lakes#region.

If you dont know where you are going,

youll end up someplace else.
Yogi Berra

The Building Blocks for ERIE COUNTYS FUTURE

Vibrant &Safe Communities (VSC) Goal: Protect and revitalize Erie Countys
cities and towns by targeting investment, building upon existing assets, and
fortifying neighborhoods
Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure (LUTI) Goal: Promote sustainable
growth patterns and efficient resource use by coordinating land use,
transportation systems, and infrastructure investment throughout the region
Environment (ENV) Goal: Guarantee Eries environmental legacy for future
generations by becoming better stewards of the regions
exceptional natural habitats and resources
The graphic to the right lays out the
Arts, Culture & Recreation (ACR) Goal: Stimulate prosperity,
42 Destination Erie Recommendations,
vitality, creativity, and community by leveraging the regions
which are labeled by the topic that each
addresses, as the building blocks for
history, natural attractions and arts and cultural heritage
Erie Countys future. They are organized
Community Health (CH) Goal: Improve the regions
according to how the recommendations
health outcomes by better coordinating approaches to
support and further the five values of the
community health and inspiring greater wellness and
Destination Erie Vision: Thriving, Educated,
more active health habits
Livable, Green, and Connected.
RegionalCollaboration & Leadership (RCL) Goal: Maximize
and leverage the regions capacity to realize its vision for the
future by cultivating leadership and implementing new models for collaboration

For more information about these recommendations,

please visit www.Emerge2040.com.

As for the future, your

task is not to foresee it,
but to enable it.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

THRIVING
EDUCATED

Education & Training (E&T) Goal: Maintain a plentiful, prepared, and globally
competitive workforce by implementing cutting-edge, collaborative education
and training models

LIVABLE

EconomicGrowth & Job Development (EGJD) Goal: Foster a prosperous and

equitable economy by building partnerships that cultivate entrepreneurism, grow
and attract businesses, and recruit and retain talent

Create and expand local

businesses and pair
them with Erie County
anchor institutions to
create stable, family
sustaining employment
opportunities and build
wealth. (EDJG)

Implement a coordinated
strategy to develop,
expand, and promote
year-round visitor
attractions to boost
the impact of regional
tourism as an economic
driver. (EDJG)

Create countywide
access to high-quality
early care and education
to ensure Erie County
children are ready to
learn when they enter
school. (E&T)

Adopt a regional
strategy to address
decaying and abandoned
properties through
data collection, code
enforcement, and the
creation of a Housing
Court. (VSC)

Create an environment
that is conducive to
entrepreneurism and
entrepreneurial success
to build an economy
with higher growth
potential. (EDJG)

Cultivate civic
involvement to
engage the talent and
commitment of Erie
County residents. (RCL)

Nurture the economic

and cultural
contributions of our
immigrant populations.
(ACR)

MEDIUM-TERM
Create an historic
preservation plan
for protecting and
appropriately reusing
Erie Countys historic
properties. (ACR)

Create seamless
career pathways that
strengthen the local
workforce and ensure
family-sustaining
employment for all
residents. (E&T)

Expand efforts that

provide resources and
support to community
organizations developing
and implementing
neighborhood strategic
plans. (VSC)

Provide Municipal
Planning Assistance
so Erie Countys
communities can make
informed decisions about
their futures. (LUTI)

Develop an Erie Climate

Action Plan. (ENV)

GREEN

The plan focuses on eight topics:

SHORT-TERM

CONNECTED

The Destination Erie Regional Plan is based on values that Erie County
residents hold in common and focuses on building upon the things we
are doing in Erie County that are already working.

Identify ways to support

and expand traditional
local manufacturing
sectors. (EDJG)

Develop a Global
Education Curriculum
and diversify school
staffing. (E&T)

Ensure that all Erie

county residents have
access to high quality
primary and dental care.
(CH)

Establish a broad,
active, and accountable,
community-health
partnership focused
on developing and
implementing the
Community Health
Improvement Plan. (CH)

Create a dedicated
funding stream to
preserve open spaces
to protect Erie Countys
character, quality of life,
and natural habitats
(ENV)

Create a peer-to-peer
exchange to coordinate
planning and identify
opportunities to share
resources among Eries
water and sewer utilities.
(RCL)

Implement Erie Countys

Cultural Master Plan.
(ACR)

Ensure access to
broadband Internet
service to empower Erie
Countys residents and
businesses. (LUTI)

Support local
manufacturing of
products targeted
to the Natural Gas
Industrys needs to
maximize natural gass
local impact. (EDJG)

Capitalize on existing
curricula and faculty at
local universities to create a
regional multi-institutional
center for Applied
Information Solutions
to grow the regions
intelligence and datamining industry. (EDJG)

Create a cultural tourism

plan that leverages the
regions assets, history,
and past and current
role as a community of
diverse nationalities.
(ACR)

Rebuild the NWPA

Workforce Investment
Board to coordinate and
expand opportunities for
career guidance, training,
and job placement. (E&T)

Build the capacity of law

enforcement agencies
to prevent crime and
violence. (VSC)

Develop a countywide
network of community
partnerships among
schools, universities,
local nonprofits, and
government agencies
to meet the year-round
educational needs of
residents of all ages. (E&T)

Establish a clearinghouse
to provide connections
to technical assistance
and funding for home
repairs and energyefficiency improvements.
(VSC)

Begin a Public Health

Accreditation Program.
(CH)

Create a Green
Infrastructure Matching
Grant Program. (ENV)

Improve the public

transit system
countywide to provide
Erie County residents
with more transportation
options at a lower cost.
(LUTI)

LONG-TERM

Create a framework for

regional coordination
of public safety and
emergency preparedness
efforts. (RCL)

Support local agriculture

and buy local initiatives
to eliminate food deserts
and other barriers to
healthy diets. (CH)

Establish a Renewable
Energy Accelerator
to drive Erie Countys
energy future. (ENV)

Undertake a city-led,
multi-jurisdictional, and
collaborative update
of the Erie Waterfront
Master Plan. (RCL)

Improve collaboration
among municipalities to
achieve cost-savings and
support regional assets.
(RCL)

Develop and link the

regions network of trails.
(LUTI)

Address the
underlying issues
that create barriers
to housing diversity
in neighborhoods
throughout the County.
(VSC)

Establish a Community
Land Bank. (VSC)

Protect the rich cultural

and environmental
resources in Lake
Erie and on Presque
Isle and seek national
and international
designations reflecting
their importance. (ENV)

Optimize traffic
signal efficiency and
provide multi-modal
connections to improve
transportation mobility
and access. (LUTI)

Organize a Lake Erie

Tri-State Alliance to
ensure the collaborative
implementation of
regional strategies. (RCL)

Provide enhanced
multi-modal
freight access to
improve economic
competitiveness. (LUTI)