New handbook targets cities’ delivery gap

A new handbook on local and regional economic development is calling on city leaders to prioritise delivery, warning that too many strategies fail to translate into measurable outcomes.

The Local and Regional Economic Development Handbook by Glenn Athey (pictured) is released this week, drawing on more than 30 years of his experience across organisations including Scottish Enterprise, London Development Agency, Centre for Cities and the Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership.

The publication brings together practice-focused chapters on areas such as industrial development and clusters, innovation, and place, infrastructure and real estate, positioning itself as a guide for practitioners working across the full economic development lifecycle.

Athey argues that one of the most persistent challenges facing cities is the disconnect between strategy and implementation.

“The gap between strategy and delivery is one of the most persistent challenges in our field–the world is full of glossy strategies gathering dust on shelves while the problems they were meant to address persist,” he told Cities Today.

While digitalisation is often presented as a solution, he emphasises that its value lies in improving how decisions are made and acted upon, rather than replacing the fundamentals of delivery.

“Digitalisation can genuinely help, but only when it shortens feedback loops rather than replacing the hard work of delivery,” he said.

Used effectively, digital tools can provide earlier visibility of performance and enable more responsive management of economic development activity.

“Real-time data on business support pipelines, planning applications, employment outcomes or skills system performance allows officers and political leaders to spot drift early and adapt before commitments lapse,” he explained.

However, the handbook warns that some cities risk over-investing in performance reporting systems without strengthening the underlying delivery structures required to act on insights.

“The risk is using dashboards as a substitute for delivery rather than a window into it,” he added.

Beyond digitalisation, the book highlights the importance of integrating economic development with other policy areas, particularly transport and mobility, which play a central role in shaping labour markets and access to opportunity.

“City leaders should treat mobility as integral to economic strategy from the outset, not as a transport file that economic development comments on later,” he said.

The handbook also cautions against treating data, AI and smart city technologies as standalone innovation projects, noting that their impact depends on how well they are embedded within core functions and aligned to real economic constraints.

For cities with limited resources, Athey advocates a pragmatic approach focused on strengthening core systems and capabilities rather than pursuing complex or high-profile initiatives.

“Buy boring before buying clever,” he said.

He added that cities delivering the strongest outcomes are those that build on existing capabilities and align investment with long-term priorities.

“Build upon genuine capability and opportunity. Don’t try to be Cambridge, Singapore or Boston,” he said.