EXCELSIOR SPRING RESILIENCY CAPABILITIES Location: Excelsior Springs, MO Population: 11,688 Typologies: Traditional main street; Edge Key takeaway: By applying a combination of strategies to support local businesses during a global health crisis, Excelsior Springs was able to minimize negative effects to their local economy, continue to attract visitors, and maintain the healthy, stable community that … Continued
PARIS TAILORS FIXED-ROUTE SERVICE TO COMMUNITY NEEDS Location: Paris, Texas Population: 24,814 (2020) Typology: Traditional Main Street community Key takeaway: Through community partnerships, Paris’s fixed-route service was kept affordable for residents, and was tailored to the needs of the sponsoring partners. Paris is a town of 25,000 people located in northeastern Texas along the border … Continued
CHILLICOTHE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS Location: Chillicothe, OH Population: 21,668 (2020) Typologies: Traditional main street; Edge Key takeaway: Chillicothe’s process was successful because the decisions the city made were driven by and through the extensive community engagement that was conducted. This led the city to pursue a hybrid option of preserving the fixed-route service while also adding … Continued
OSAGE NATION TRIBAL COMMUNITY DEVELOP A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Location: Pawhuska, OK Population: 3,456 (2020) Typologies: Gateway; Traditional main street; Edge; Tribal and Native American Key takeaway: With a clear vision, shaped based on an understanding of their history and identity, the Osage Nation implemented a series of projects that worked together toward a … Continued
DOWNEASTER RAIL SERVICE CONNECTS COMMUNITIES Location: Saco, Brunswick, and Surrounding Rural Communities, ME Population: 19,716 (2020) Typologies: Gateway; Resource-dependent; Retirement, second-home; Traditional main street; College; Edge. Key takeaway: Transit service can make living in rural areas more attractive for young adults who want access to attractions and resources in nearby cities, and more feasible for … Continued
In a unique partnership focused on bringing vital connections to rural America, Smart Growth America is helping T-Mobile give one small community a prize package worth $3 million as well as millions in smaller grants for hundreds of other rural and small town communities to reinvest in their downtowns, improve their quality of life, become … Continued
Smart Growth America (SGA), the leading advocate for people who want to live and work in great neighborhoods, is pleased to announce the Nuclear Closure Communities Technical Assistance program.
Absent major changes, the majority of the nuclear power plants in the U.S. may close in the next few decades. This presents an enormous economic development challenge in what are mostly fairly small or rural communities where these plants are located.
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.
(Image courtesy of Alta Planning + Design)
Successful implementation of Complete Streets requires much more than a one-size-fits-all approach. Rural and small towns often face distinct challenges from urban areas when it comes to improving the conditions for people walking and bicycling. The National Complete Streets Coalition recently spoke with Andrea Clinkscales, Senior Planner at Alta, to learn about some of the obstacles smaller communities may face, along with potential solutions to implementing Complete Streets.