The purpose of these interactive workshops was to learn about best practices in creating strong, vibrant rural communities; to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to promoting quality growth in Appalachia; and to identify opportunities for local development districts and their partners to link economic development strategies with transportation plans, regional development frameworks, and local initiatives to support long-term community goals.

Links to the agendas and presentations shared at each workshop are provided below. All files are in PDF format.

Southern Appalachia: May 15, Cartersville, Georgia.

Agenda and Presentations:

Workshop Agenda

Prosperous, Healthy, Vibrant Rural Regions and Communities (Kathy Nothstine)

Livable Regions and Communities in Appalachia (Anne Keller)

EPA Programs Supporting Livable and Sustainable Rural Communities (Ed Fendley)

GroWNC (Joe McKinney)

Greater Chattanooga Regional Growth Initiative (Beth Jones)

Livable Centers Initiative (Amy Goodwin)

Five Keys to Revitalizing Your Downtown (Cheryl Morgan)

Leveraging and Integrating Resources in Rome (Ann Arnold)

Central Appalachia: July 12, Kingsport, Tennessee.

Agenda and Presentations:

Workshop Agenda

Prosperous, Healthy, Vibrant Rural Regions and Communities (Kathy Nothstine)

EPA Programs Supporting Livable and Sustainable Rural Communities (Ed Fendley)

GroWNC (Carrie Runser-Turner)

New River Valley Livability Initiative (Kim Thurlow)

Five Keys to Revitalizing Your Downtown (Cheryl Morgan)

Transforming Liabilities into Assets: Clintwood, Virginia (Jim Baldwin)

USDA Rural Development: Working for Rural Communities (Joe Woody)

Central Appalachian Network: Building a Regional Network for Asset-Based Economic Development (Kathlyn Terry)

WNC Forest Products Cooperative Marketing Project (Erica Anderson)

WNC Forestry Success Stories (link to videos on YouTube)

Appalachian Prosperity Project (Skip Skinner and Marcia Quesenberry)

Northern Appalachia: August 16, California, Pennsylvania.

Agenda and Presentations:

Workshop Agenda

Prosperous, Healthy, Vibrant Rural Regions and Communities (Kathy Nothstine)

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (Lew Vilotti)

River Town Program (Kent Edwards)

Ranson – Recreating a Community – Their Way (Dawn Seeburger)

Five Keys to Revitalizing Your Downtown (Cheryl Morgan)

EPA Programs Supporting Livable and Sustainable Rural Communities (Ed Fendley)

FHWA Grant Programs Supporting Livable Communities (Amy Fox)

USDA Rural Development (Todd Colley)

Social Impacts Of Marcellus Shale Exploration: A Research Summary (Kathy Brasier)

Building Diverse Partnerships to Develop Agricultural Community Assets (Leah Smith)

Trail Town Program (Bill Atkinson)

Reinventing the Wheel: Downtown and Neighborhood Revitalization Partnerships (Mary Lee Stotler)

Links to Additional Resources:

Vibrant Rural Communities: This series of case studies describes how rural regions and small towns across the country are growing local and regional economies and creating stronger communities. These stories illustrate how communities can leverage a wide range of tools and resources to build on their assets, protect their resources, and make strategic investments that offer long-term benefits.

Regional Approaches to Sustainable Development: Linking Economic, Transportation, and Environmental Infrastructure in Rural and Small Metropolitan America (PDF): Regional development organizations working in all types of communities across the country are designing and implementing strategies to create stronger, more dynamic, more resilient regional economies that are based on quality of place.  Featuring case studies from California, Michigan, North Carolina, and Utah, this report highlights the opportunities available to RDOs to undertake sustainable development initiatives using a systems-based approach.

Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities (PDF) (44 pp, 6.4MB, About PDF): 2012. A guide to programs from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that rural communities can use to promote economic competitiveness, protect healthy environments, and enhance quality of life.

Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes: 2012. Hard copies available by emailing nscep@bps-lmit.com or calling (800) 490-9198 and requesting EPA 231-K-12-001 . Offers ten essential fixes to help rural communities amend their codes, ordinances, and development requirements to promote more sustainable development.

Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities (PDF) (52 pp, 2.8MB About PDF)
2011. Discusses federal programs that help rural America, presents sample funding and technical assistance opportunities and performance measures rural communities can use, and includes case studies showcasing rural accomplishments.

Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities: 2010. International City/County Management Association and Smart Growth Network. Hard copies available by emailing nscep@bps-lmit.com or calling (800) 490-9198 and requesting EPA 231-K-10-003. Focuses on smart growth strategies that can help guide growth in rural areas while protecting natural and working lands and preserving the rural character of existing communities.

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: In 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined together to help communities nationwide improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment. This website contains tools, resources, case studies, and more.

Links to further resources, news, and announcements related to rural and small town sustainable development initiatives

For more information about this workshop series or for more information about NADO’s work with regions pursuing sustainable development approaches, contact Kathy Nothstine at knothstine@nado.org or 202.624.5256.

The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Rural Futures Lab™ and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation Release New Report on Assessing Current Policy and Practice Relating to Regional Resilience

The NADO Research Foundation is pleased to announce the release of a new special report, Regional Resilience.  The issue brief summarizes recent research and practice on economic and community resiliency, including a potential framework for regional development organizations to use in preparing and responding to economic shocks.

Disasters, whether natural or man-made disasters, often know no boundaries and a community’s ability to recover is mostly determined by its capacity to respond to the magnitude and severity of the event.  A resilient region anticipates threats, develops resources to reduce their impact, responds appropriately, and recovers.  A resilient approach extends beyond emergency responsiveness by utilizing advanced planning and leadership to address vulnerabilities and support vibrant, healthy communities.

In partnership with Rupri and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), NADO is working to assist regions in taking a more pro-active approach to pre-disaster preparedness and post-disaster economic recovery.  Through partnerships and training, NADO is working with regional development organizations (RDOs) and other partners to explore methods to hasten post-disaster economic recovery and reduce the long-term financial burden of disasters (natural disasters as well as economic disasters) on impacted communities, businesses, and individuals.

View the New Rupri-NADO Report on Regional Resilience (pdf)

The NADO Research Foundation, the nonprofit research affiliate of the National Association of Development Organizations, identifies, studies, and promotes regional solutions and approaches to improving local prosperity and services through the nationwide network of RDOs.  For more information or to access these and other reports online, visit www.NADO.org or contact Program Manager Matt Black at 202.624.7809 or mblack@nado.org.  

This report was produced under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) under cooperative agreement 08-79-04379.  Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations do not necessarily reflect the views of EDA.

(March 1, 2012)

View the NADO power point presentation.

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.

Regional Food Systems Infrastructure (PDF)

Many regional development organizations (RDOs) and councils of governments are exploring how they can support regional food systems infrastructure. In recent years, an emphasis on eating locally grown food has flourished as many Americans have sought to direct more of their food-purchasing budget to producers located closer to home. However, significant barriers prevent small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers from connecting with the expanding base of consumers who seek locally grown food. Many regions lack the transportation and distribution network required to support area producers.

This report describes the role of RDOs in supporting regional farmers, processors and distributors. Promoting small- and mid-size agricultural operations offers numerous benefits to a region, including sustained economic development, protection for regional farmland and rural landscapes, and reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions. By developing partnerships with area farmers and other stakeholders, RDOs can help to develop regional food systems infrastructure that will support economic development initiatives and other program goals.

• Combined file of all forum presentations
• Mid America Regional Council Case Study
  

FEDERAL OFFICIAL PARTICIPANTS 

On Tuesday, July 12, NADO Research Foundation sponsored “Rural-Urban Connections in the Sacramento Region,” a webinar exploring how the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is addressing rural growth and development issues in their regional planning processes.  David Shabazian, Senior Planner with SACOG, discussed 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 the agriculture sector, rural economies, regional and local food systems, resource conservation, and regional sustainability.  Raef Porter, Senior Research Analyst at SACOG, demonstrated in real-time 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.  A recording of the webinar is located here.  SACOG staff will be demonstrating these tools further in an interactive workshop at NADO’s Annual Training Conference in Miami Beach (October 8-11).  This webinar was approved for 1.5 AICP Certification Maintenance credits.