Some city-regions attain seemingly high levels of economic development. Others appear "left behind." In both, certain groups remain excluded from full economic participation. How do we make sense of this? More importantly, what can planners, policymakers, and community advocates do in response? In this discussion-based graduate seminar which offers an overview of urban, regional, and community economic development, we will: a) Survey major theoretical paradigms of urban, regional, and community economic development, which draw on multiple social sciences including economics, political science, sociology, and geography, reflecting the realities of actual policymaking and planning in the COVID-19 era: remember, planning is not a sub-field of geography or any other discipline. b) Examine "traditional" economic development planning/policy tools, grouped by their focus on people, places, and/or institutions/networks. We hear from real-world practitioners and review real-life cases, in Canada, the U.S., and other comparable contexts, of tax incentives, cluster/sector strategies, innovation districts and improvement/opportunity zones, workforce development, creative class strategies, labour mobility vouchers/relocation incentives, and regional innovation ecosystems. We also consider how these efforts can be understood and evaluated using a range of qualitative and simple quantitative analytical techniques. c) Analyze heterodox alternatives, which centre equity and sustainability and are often collectively framed as "community economic development." These are also grouped by logic: enactive, localist, or democratic. Coverage includes living wages, community benefits agreements, anchor institutions, social/local procurement, worker cooperatives, and municipal/community ownership. Many of these strategies focus on including those who have historically been excluded from full participation in the economy, including BIPOC individuals, immigrants, women, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ population.