Knowledge
Explore key insights and strategic research that inform the Heartland Civic Collaborative’s regional advocacy and policy initiatives. Our reports highlight shared priorities across the Midwest and support collaborative efforts to drive innovation, infrastructure investment, workforce development, and national competitiveness.
Growing from the middle out: An economic model of good jobs for the heartland, by the heartland
Now is the time to embrace a new model for rebuilding the middle class and the middle of the country—one rooted in education and industry, and already taking shape in heartland communities.
Recent immigration brought a population rebound to America’s major metro areas, new census data show
Just a few months into office, the Trump administration has put in place a restrictive immigration policy while pursuing aggressive deportations. These anti-immigrant actions come just as new Census Bureau data show that the rise of immigration over the past few years, including both legal and undocumented immigrants, bolstered population growth across the nation and, in particular, large metro areas.
Creating a Global Hub for Geospatial Technologies and Businesses
The announcement of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s $1.75 billion headquarters in St. Louis sparked a unified regional effort—through the STL GeoFutures Initiative—to transform the city into an inclusive, global hub for geospatial technology by 2030.
New Congressional Caucus Launched to Position Midwest for Strategic Federal Investment
Last week marked the formal launch of the Midwest Crossroads Congressional Caucus, a bipartisan initiative aimed at strengthening the competitive edge of the Midwest. Comprised of the U.S. House Representatives in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, this bipartisan caucus is co-chaired by Representative Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5) and Representative Zach Nunn (IA-3).
As part of the President’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Commerce identified regional centers primed for technological innovation and job creation.
The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced the designation of 31 Tech Hubs in regions across the country. This is the first phase of the new Tech Hubs program, which is an economic development initiative designed to drive regional innovation and job creation by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy technology that will advance American competitiveness. The program invests directly in burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.
Heartland Freight Technology Plan
This plan outlines a coordinated strategy to deploy emerging freight technologies across key corridors in the Central Plains—enhancing mobility, efficiency, and economic competitiveness in a region vital to U.S. agriculture, manufacturing, and distribution.
HCC Regional Transportation Strategy
This plan offers a framework to harmonize emerging freight technologies across the Central Plains, strengthening connections between metro areas in a region critical to U.S. agriculture, manufacturing, and distribution.