During an afternoon session at USDA, NADO member Kevin Byrd of the New River Valley PDC presented on lessons learned from the HUD sustainable communities initiative.  The forum offered an opportunity for rural leaders to provide input into the administration’s initiatives on regional innovation in rural regions.

• Improve their quality of life.
• Encourage creative activity.
• Create community identity and a sense of place.
• Revitalize local economies.

Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $150,000. Projects may include planning, design, and arts engagement activities that reflect a systemic approach to civic development and a persuasive vision for enhanced community vibrancy.

COMPLETE GUIDELINES: http://arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/index.html

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 11:59PM EST

GRANT AMOUNTS: $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000, or $150,000

PERIOD OF SUPPORT: September 1, 2012 through December 31, 2014

ELIGIBILITY: A partnership between a local government entity and a nonprofit cultural institution is required; additional partners are encouraged.

FAQs:    http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/OurTown/FAQ.html

PROGRAM INQUIRIES: Email ot@arts.gov to schedule a call with NEA staff.

GRANTS.GOV QUESTIONS: Contact Grants.gov Help Desk at 800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov

NEA staff will be conducting Our Town webinars on Wednesday, January 11 and Tuesday, February 7, 2012 to answer questions and walk applicants through this year’s guidelines. Schedule and registration details will be posted on the Our Town guidelines webpage next week.

For more information on creative placemaking and to view the 51 Our Town grants awarded in 2011, visit http://www.arts.gov/national/ourtown/index.php .

One of the categories of assistance this year is rural communities.  This category is framed as follows:

Economic Viability of Small Towns and Rural Communities

• Attracting economic growth in slow-growing rural communities while ensuring a sustainable built environment.
• Implementation of land use strategies that enhance the economic value of rural landscapes and protect rural livelihoods.
• Implementation of land use strategies that promote urban-rural links to bring rural products (such as farm or forest products) to urban markets.

Potential topics for this round of assistance include economic development for rural communities, resilience planning for natural hazards, linking planning for land use and economic development, using locally generated energy, and smart growth for tribal communities.  EPA will choose up to four communities to receive assistance.

Letters of interest are due October 28.  More information on the SGIA program and the request for letters of interest can be found here.

The NADO Research Foundation is sponsoring a two-part webinar series exploring how regional development organizations are incorporating sustainability principles into their regional planning processes.

The first webinar, “Land-Based Sustainable Development Strategies in Western North Carolina”, was held on Tuesday, June 21, from 2pm – 3pm EDT and featured two initiatives of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council (Asheville, NC).  Linda Giltz, Regional Planner at Land-of-Sky, described the Linking Lands and Communities Project, a four-county, multidisciplinary program to help guide land use decisions across the landscape by identifying and mapping the region’s most valuable natural and cultural resources.  Erica Anderson, also a Regional Planner at Land-of-Sky, discussed the Western North Carolina Forest Products Cooperative Marketing Project, a program that builds the capacity of forest producers to sustainably pursue a variety of forest enterprises using a bottom-up planning and economic development approach guided by forest producers and by forest product consumers.

The recording of the webinar and a PDF of the presentations are available for download here.

The first webinar, “Land-Based Sustainable Development Strategies in Western North Carolina”, will be held on Tuesday, June 21, from 2pm – 3pm EDT and will feature two initiatives of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council (Asheville, NC).  Linda Giltz, Regional Planner at Land-of-Sky, will describe the Linking Lands and Communities Project, a four-county, multidisciplinary program to help guide land use decisions across the landscape by identifying and mapping the region’s most valuable natural and cultural resources.  Erica Anderson, also a Regional Planner at Land-of-Sky, will discuss the Western North Carolina Forest Products Cooperative Marketing Project, a program that builds the capacity of forest producers to sustainably pursue a variety of forest enterprises using a bottom-up planning and economic development approach guided by forest producers and by forest product consumers.

Registration is free; reserve your place for the “Land-Based Sustainable Development Strategies in Western North Carolina” webinar now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/924646491.

The second webinar, “Rural-Urban Connections in the Sacramento Region”, will be held on Tuesday, July 14, from 2pm – 3:30 pm EDT and will feature David Shabazian, Senior Planner with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).  He will discuss the Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS), a look at the region’s growth and sustainability objectives from a rural perspective.  Through the RUCS framework, SACOG is working with rural residents, businesses, and public agencies to form strategies that enhance agriculture, rural economies, resource conservation, recreation, quality of life, and regional sustainability. This webinar will demonstrate the interactive scenario modeling tools that SACOG is using to broaden understanding of how land use and transportation investments affect rural areas, agriculture production, and the region as a whole.

Registration is free; reserve your place for the “Rural-Urban Connections in the Sacramento Region” webinar now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/552780427.

The NADO Research Foundation is sponsoring a two-part webinar series exploring how regional development organizations are incorporating sustainability principles into their regional planning processes.  The second webinar, “Rural-Urban Connections in the Sacramento Region”, will be held on Tuesday, July 14, from 2pm – 3:30 pm EDT and will feature David Shabazian, Senior Planner with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).  He will discuss the Rural-Urban Connections Strategy (RUCS), a look at the region’s growth and sustainability objectives from a rural perspective.  Through the RUCS framework, SACOG is working with rural residents, businesses, and public agencies to form strategies that enhance agriculture, rural economies, resource conservation, recreation, quality of life, and regional sustainability. This webinar will demonstrate the interactive scenario modeling tools that SACOG is using to broaden understanding of how land use and transportation investments affect rural areas, agriculture production, and the region as a whole.

Registration is free; reserve your place for the “Rural-Urban Connections in the Sacramento Region” webinar now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/552780427.

Register

Click here to view Pennsylvania’s Energy Partnership: Regional Approaches to Efficiency, Conservation and Innovation (PDF).

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Click here to view A Time for Action: Regional Efforts to Mitigate Climate Change (PDF).

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