Development Framework for a Blue Economy Corridor

Keywords: Regional Tourism Development, Blueways, Recreation, Community Development
Abstract Type: Virtual Lightning Paper Abstract

Abstract

The Tar-Pamlico Blue Economy Corridor serves two Tier 1 Counties (Nash and Edgecombe counties) and two Tier 2 counties (Pitt and Beaufort counties) in Eastern North Carolina (North Carolina Department of Commerce, 2022) which fall within these twenty-nine counties.
Small municipalities comprise most of the population centers within these four counties. Outside of these small municipalities, an average 46% of the remaining population across all four counties is considered “rural” (Radcliffe et al., 2016). While manufacturing is an important contributor to each county’s economy (Mid-East Commission, n.d., p.; Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, n.d.), the service sector, particularly economic activity related to outdoor recreation and tourism, is becoming an increasingly viable option for diversifying local and regional economies within the Tar-Pamlico River Basin and surrounding areas in the region that possess a similar portfolio of natural, socio-cultural, and economic resources (Bradshaw et al., n.d.; Fryberger et al., 2016). The goal of this project is to help communities within the Tar-Pamlico River Basin to identify existing assets to be leveraged for continued economic development and investment to maintain or improve the quality of life for Tar-Pamlico River Basin and to hopefully attract visitors to counties within the River Basin to introduce outside dollars into the River Basin’s local communities.
This presentation intends to outline the successes and challenges of initiating a CBPR project and the steps taken thus far and the future directions of this research.