Economic Developers seek to take advantage of all the assets a place has that can support economic growth. They look at every aspect of a place and its people, to identify what resources can be tapped. Will the education system be attractive to business owners or workers who might move here? What skills are already there in the workforce? How does the transportation network connect this place to other places? Are there significant markets nearby? Significant sources of materials or products that could be used in business?
If a community has a lot of inherited wealth and a tradition of philanthropy, how could that be leveraged for economic growth? Is this a place where people have a strong work ethic? What is the access to capital for investment?
From those questions it is not a great leap to ask, what is the character of this place? If this is a region where people have an individualistic pioneer spirit, even a place where people are a bit cantankerous and suspicious of outsiders, it may not make as much sense to try to develop tourism—or at least it may be harder. If a place has a history of entrepreneurial ventures, there may be something especially hospitable to such efforts there. How could that be identified and made use of? Strains of idealism and even utopian hopes and dreams may make some directions more likely to succeed than others in some places..
Economic developers are already trying to bring everything they know about a place to bear on decisions about how to build the economy. It makes perfect sense for them to add, at the outset of their planning process, an inquiry into the personality and character of the place, as the context in which decisions can best be made.