Book excerpt: Since the appearance of the first edition in 1990, Planning Local Economic Development has become the foundation for an entire generation of planners and academics teaching planning. Building on the success of its predecessors, the Fourth Edition continues to explore the theories of local economic development and address the dilemmas communities face. The authors investigate planning processes, analytical techniques, business and human resource development, as well as high-technology economic development strategies. Written by authors with many years of academic, regional, and city planning experience, this book will prove invaluable to professors of economic development, urban studies, and public administration. Economic development specialists in local and municipal government, as well as nonprofit organizations, will also find this an essential reference. New to the Fourth Edition: - Completely revised and updated with current research - Provides more guidance oriented to third world readers - Includes more on issues of urban sustainability such as energy and brown field development - Contains added material on the redesign of neighborhoods for sustainable purposes to include new firms and recycling techniques and technologies as new economic engines