Expanding broadband access can help communities revitalize their downtowns and attract and retain a new generation of works. But beginning the process can be daunting, particularly for smaller communities with limited resources. This webinar will cover action steps for broadband investment, informed by our work with communities across the country.
With the right investments in reliable broadband, communities can revitalize their downtowns and attract younger Americans that can bring their existing businesses and remote jobs with them. Listen to this webinar to hear about how Zanesville, OH and Eastport, ME are retooling their towns for a 21st century economy.
Millinocket, Maine epitomizes the plight of many rural communities across the country that struggle as legacy industries or major employers that once helped sustain a place slow down or close altogether. Millinocket has found new hope in part by pairing improved broadband internet access with a new focus on downtown revitalization, giving the community the chance to take hold of their future and “actually build something” new.
Many rural communities in America have been struggling as the economy has changed dramatically over the last few decades, but some of these communities are evolving and finding new ways to adapt. This is a story of how one small mountain town in northeast Tennessee has found new economic opportunity by investing in reliable, high-speed broadband internet to catalyze new growth and development focused in their walkable, historic downtown.
This new podcast taps into expertise on development near transit—heavy rail, bus and everything in between—to share the experiences of communities across the country, large and small.
Download the slides >> On December 7, 2017, Smart Growth America teamed up with Recast City and National League of Cities to host a deep dive discussion on ways communities can leverage recent technological and economic shifts to help more people produce and sell their own goods. The webinar discussion features findings from SGA’s latest … Continued
On November 13-16, 2017, leadership teams from Macon, GA; Columbia, SC; Akron, OH; Charlotte, NC; and Wichita, KS came to Greenville, SC to learn about the placemaking strategies the city took to successfully create a vibrant, walkable downtown. The convening was the final half of the Amazing Place Ideas Forum, an experiential gathering of city leaders to learn how investing in a unique sense of place and vibrant, walkable neighborhoods is at the heart of a new economic development strategy.
An influx of visitors to Oklahoma’s Osage Nation and the City of Pawhuska has spurred an opportunity to establish a robust tourism industry. The community teamed up with Smart Growth America to identify strategic investments that would maximize the unique culture, history, and arts of the Osage.
In 2017, SGA staff was on the ground in scores of communities like these, helping local elected and civic leaders understand how to support and expand this growing sector of their economy to build strong, vibrant, and walkable neighborhoods.
On this Small Business Saturday, you can help us do even more. Make a donation today so we can reach even more communities in 2018 >>
With the recent release of Made in Place: Small-Scale Manufacturing & Neighborhood Revitalization, we’re spotlighting a few standout examples of cities that have fostered a small-scale manufacturing sector to revitalize their local economy. Knoxville, Tennessee benefits from a strong community of makers, real estate developers, and residents with longstanding roots and connections to the city. In 2016, Etsy officially named Knoxville as the first “Etsy Maker City” and the Mayor’s Maker Council voted to adopt the motto “The Maker City” in 2017.