Greensburg - American Planning Association

APPROPRIATE INDUSTRIES
For 150 years, Kansas farmers have
worked their fields and fed the country.
They understand what it means to care
for the land. They are close to the natural
systems that power a sustainable
economy and conscientious about how
human actions affect those systems over
time. Greensburg is in a position to
leverage that knowledge and use it as a
competitive advantage in a potentially
enormous new sector of the American
economy. Greensburg should encourage
and recruit industries that are in line with
the local agricultural economy, build up its
tourist trade and reputation, and bring in
manufacturing partners that can use
available materials and the City’s
reputation as a springboard for creating a
strong economy.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH SUSTAINABLE
RESOURCES
By providing clean carbon-free energy to
its current and future citizens and
businesses, and by creating an attractive
community built around energy efficiency,
healthy lifestyles, and durability,
Greensburg will be an ideal location for
emerging economies. To attract and
retain potential businesses and the
workforce to support them, it is important
to develop a workable clean energy
solution, encourage city-wide efficiency
efforts, and promote quality new
development that embraces good urban
and neighborhood design. Enough
progress has been made in these areas
such that it is appropriate to integrate a
significant business recruitment strategy
into recovery work. A comprehensive
Economic Development Plan is an
important aspect of sustainable
economies and it is recommended that
Greensburg complete a detailed plan
within a year of adopting this plan.
Manufacturing and Sustainable
Startups
New industries will be attracted to
Greensburg because of the availability of
agricultural wastes, byproducts,
consumer products, and the proximity of
an active rail line. For instance, new fuel
industries could set up a supply chain by
which they purchase the agricultural
waste from corn or wheat farming to
produce alternative fuels such as biomass
or biofuel. This creates a byproduct
synergy whereby one industry’s waste
becomes another industry’s product. Not
only does this model enhance the existing
farm economy and reinforce the town’s
goals for becoming a sustainable model,
but it also creates jobs that are appropriate
for the existing population.
Some of the existing partners that are
actively investigating a future in
Greensburg include a new biodiesel plant,
several sustainable building material
manufacturers, and an emerging
technology center that uses municipal
waste as fuel and produces sustainable
products.
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Greensburg Sustainable Comprehensive Plan
CITY OF GREENSBURG, KANSAS + BNIM