The Story You Tell Is the City You Build

Every city has a story it tells about itself. Whether leaders realize it or not, that story is a powerful economic development tool. Economic Development narrative isn’t branding or a new tagline on a logo. Narrative is the deep, collectively held experiences and beliefs about what a place is, what it’s capable of, and where it’s headed. Narrative shapes the decisions of investors, developers, employers, and residents deciding whether to bet on a community. In Leland’s work with over 250 communities around the U.S., those positioned for long-term vitality are the ones that get the story right. Our work in market and land use analysis, economic development strategy, and place-based planning is grounded in a simple belief: narrative and data aren’t opposites — they’re partners.

Perception Drives Investment

Capital is not neutral. While it funds tangible assets like infrastructure and workforce development, it also demonstrates confidence and inspires enthusiasm. When a community’s dominant narrative is one of decline, that story becomes self-fulfilling. Investors hesitate, businesses look elsewhere, and talent leaves. The story and the economic reality reinforce each other in a downward spiral. The reverse is equally true. When a community promotes credible, energizing stories about its very real capacity, identity and trajectory, it creates a different kind of gravity, shifting conversations from “why would I?” to “how do I get involved?” That shift in perception is not cosmetic. It is the precondition for positive transformation.

This Is Not about Spin

Embracing narrative as an economic development tool does not mean trading critical thinking for cheerleading. A powerful community narrative must be grounded in truth. It acknowledges real challenges while refusing to let those challenges define the whole story. The most effective civic narratives don’t pretend problems don’t exist, they reframe the community’s relationship to those problems: not “we are broken,” but “we are building.”

How Communities Can Adopt It

Shifting a community’s narrative takes intention and consistency. Start by engaging those who have a vested interest in a place because they live, work, or do business there. Elevate authentic local voices and look for patterns, assess this qualitative information using quantitative data and real world case studies. Align public and private stakeholders around a coherent story and vision. Celebrate momentum in real time, not just milestone moments. Repeat the story long after it feels redundant, because narrative change is a sustained cultural practice. The tone sets the trajectory. Set the story and you set the stage for economic possibilities.

For more information and resources about the role of narrative in economic development:

Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events (Robert J. Shiller, 2019)

In Search of Prosperity: Analytic Narratives on Economic Growth (Dani Rodrik, Ed., 2003)

Economic Narratives (Laetitia Lenel and Alexander Nützenadel, Eds., 2023)

The Role of Narratives in Economic Development (University of Bath Institute for Policy Research, 2024)