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Smart growth is an approach to community design that connects housing, transportation, and land use to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods.

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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

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Cool & Connected: How rural towns can revitalize their downtowns with broadband access

In today’s economy, more people and businesses rely on the internet to get things done.

By Sean Doyle, March 20, 2018

And with a high-speed, reliable internet connection, people can be part of a national (or international) market from anywhere. Retirees and younger Americans are looking for places to live that are affordable, walkable, and offer a high quality of life, something that many smaller cities and towns across the country have the potential to offer. With the right investments in reliable broadband, communities can revitalize their downtowns and attract younger Americans who can bring their existing businesses and remote jobs with them.

Cool & Connected is a technical assistance program that worked with 22 communities across the country, providing planning guidance for sustainable downtown development and investments in broadband. Listen to the recorded webinar to hear how two of these communities—Zanesville, OH and Eastport, ME—are retooling their towns for a 21st century economy.

Action steps for broadband investment & downtown revitalization

On April 5, 2018, we’ll be holding another webinar at 1:30 p.m. ET to talk about action steps for broadband investment & downtown revitalization. We’ll be joined by an expert—Brian Rathbone, Principal at Broadband Catalysts—who worked directly with many of our Cool & Connected communities.

For more stories about how communities are using broadband investments to find new economic opportunity, listen to these audio stories from Erwin, TN and Millinocket, ME.