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Gibson's approach to helping community economic development is grounded in economic base theory, which examines industries and employers within a regional economy to determine their existing impacts as well as potential avenues for expansion. "We're playing on local strengths, and looking at the future development of something already there," he says.

The research begins, as all geographic research should, he says, with fieldwork. "We go into the field having a problem in mind and use the field time to tease out the rough edges and collect data," he says.

This involves interviewing employers to gather detailed information about what they do, how many people they need to do it, and who their customer base is. With that information, he then makes recommendations on what a community might do to attract more industry and market itself more effectively. But he says it is up to the communities he works with to make the ultimate decisions.

"I do have a sense of mission. I obviously approve of economic development and growth as an enhancement of the quality of life. But when it comes down to it, the idea is to give the best information about what the consequences will be. My real goal is to provide the best data and perspectives possible."

One of the best examples of Gibson's applied research comes from work he did in Bisbee, Ariz., after the copper mine closures in the 1970s, which eliminated three-quarters of the town's basic employment.

"In the past, mine closures like this were how you got ghost towns," Gibson says. "The mine would shut, leaving only the saloon, the brothel, and the general store. No one wanted to buy those businesses, so their owners just sat around and hoped the mine would re-open. Eventually the tumbleweeds would blow up and down the street."

To help prevent that, Gibson and his team applied economic geography's toolkit for regional economies, economic base theory, to determine the economic impacts of the closures and possibilities for remedying the losses. They measured the impact of basic employers that drove the economy and created a demand for local goods and services. In this case, Phelps Dodge Mining Co., as well as its secondary employers then offered those goods and services such as restaurants and general stores.

What the analysis showed was that although the mines had closed, other, viable means of employment were still possible in Bisbee. As the county seat, Bisbee still had government employment. Additionally, the artist and "hippie" communities there meant businesses such as restaurants, gift shops, and galleries could be expanded and make the town attractive for tourism.

At the time, the town mayor had an idea for a mine tour, Gibson said, but he didn't have a sense of the economic impact of that idea. "Work we did there led to several million dollars of investment in things like the underground mine tour," now a favorite tourist activity for Bisbee visitors.

Working to improve economic development, however, does not always mean looking at the impacts of industries that have left a town. More recently, Gibson consulted with the Friends of the Sonoran Desert National Park, a group working to establish a national park to preserve a large and pristine portion of the Sonoran Desert and its natural and cultural resources, to help them explore local economic impacts of the park.

Gibson found that closing an area of land off and designating it a "wilderness" could actually spark local economic development in areas surrounding the proposed park. Communities such as Gila Bend and Ajo, for example, could become "gateway cities" for people visiting the park and create a tourist industry that could grow local economies.

"You're not supposed to make money off of wilderness," Gibson says, "But we looked at how to turn the wilderness into a win-win situation, enhancing economic benefits for people on the margins."