After months of legal battles and political debate, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has brought back the BRIC program. A total of $1 billion is available through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program for projects that help communities prepare for natural disasters. The program supports efforts like flood control, wildfire mitigation, and infrastructure hardening, investments widely shown to reduce long-term disaster recovery costs and save lives.

The reinvestment in the program follows last year’s abrupt cancellation under the Trump administration, a move that froze billions in planned projects and drew bipartisan criticism. A federal court ultimately ordered the program restored, pushing FEMA to resume funding.

Not Without Changes

However, the program’s return comes with notable changes. The new rules that come with the program shift more responsibility to state and local governments. They also prioritize “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects and eliminate some forms of technical assistance. While these adjustments aim to streamline funding and emphasize local control, they may pose challenges for smaller, rural communities with limited capacity.

At the same time, FEMA has introduced measures intended to broaden access. They’ve set funding caps and prepared additional consideration for first-time applicants and lower-income areas. These tweaks could help address past concerns that the program favored larger or coastal states. Rural communities will have more of a fighting chance to obtain BRIC funding through the new regulations.

The Stakes are High

The stakes are high. As billion-dollar disasters become more frequent, research continues to show that proactive investment can have a significant impact. The question now is whether the revised BRIC program can strike the right balance between efficiency, equity, and local readiness in an era of increasing risk and increasing cost.

The application period is open, apply now!

The post BRIC is Back appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

This is agritourism in action, a rapidly growing sector of the rural economy. For many farmers, inviting visitors onto their land isn’t just hospitality, it’s a way to stay financially viable in an industry that can be volatile and inconsistent. But long before the first guess arrives, the question rises:

Is this actually allowed?

That’s where zoning comes in.

When Old Rules Meet New Uses

Most rural zoning codes were written at a time when farming only meant growing crops or raising livestock. The idea that a farm might host school tours, weddings, or festivals simply wasn’t on the radar. The term “agritourism” wasn’t really popular yet, and it certainly wasn’t in practice as much as is now. Unfortunately, as agritourism has grown, those previous assumptions about farms have created friction.

Farmers are sometimes surprised to learn that while agriculture is permitted in their zoning district, hosting people may not be. Parking requirements, noise limits, building codes, and event restrictions can all come into play. Many times, after money has already been spent on marketing or making improvements.

Different Communities, Different Needs

Some communities have really leaned into agritourism, updating their agricultural zoning districts to allow certain activities by right. But others are taking a more cautious approach. They require conditional or special use permits for certain uses. These processes allow local officials and neighbors to be heard. But opponents argue that they also introduce uncertainty, delays, and added costs for those farmers who want to start an agritourism business.

Increasingly, zoning codes are trying to strike a middle ground regulating agritourism based on the type of agritourism sub-use, rather than agritourism as a whole. A small farm stand selling honey doesn’t have the same impact as a pumpkin patch, and modern ordinances are starting to reflect that reality.

The Issues that may Arise

When agritourism runs into zoning troubles, it’s rarely about the agriculture itself. It’s more about what comes with the visitors that agritourism draws.

With many years of experience, a pumpkin patch may handle parking relatively well. But an inexperienced crew or a rapidly growing venue may not be able to handle the parking effectively. If this happens, you may have visitors parking along the roadside, possibly hindering access for emergency vehicles. Or they may park in areas that neighbors may not appreciate.

Then there are motorcoaches and RVs. Many tourists and RV enthusiasts tour the country visiting agritourism sites and other points of interest, but is there enough stable parking for their large load? Imagine one of those large motorcoaches trying to get into a parking area and going through a level B road or an embargoed bridge!  Can your roads accommodate the turning radii of these massive vehicles as well? 

Noise is often an issue, as many of these venues bring in bands or play music that increases the noise level to a point that annoys neighbors for miles. Sometimes that band is part of a special event that lets out after the end of the concert. Do local police and/or the sheriff need to be notified ahead of time? Is there a need for security?

Another recurring issue is whether agritourism must remain “accessory” to farming. Some zoning ordinances require proof that the land is still actively farmed, raising practical questions about how success is measured. If the tourism-related income surpasses crop sales, does the use stop being agricultural?

These issues and gray areas are where conflicts tend to arise.

Clarity in Zoning

Even with the headaches that can come from agritourism, the good that comes from it often well outweighs the bad when they are handled well. So what can be done to support agritourism? There is a limited number of things that a community can do to promote and invigorate interest in agritourism. But the actions you can do can spark some interest by bringing attention to it. 

Define What You Want

First, you need to define agritourism. Many overlook the importance of definitions. At least until you are taken to court. Definitions are one of the key foundations of any successful zoning ordinance. The same goes for agritourism.

“…any activity incidental to the operation of a farm that brings members of the public to the farm for educational, recreational, or retail purposes.”

  – American Planning Association (APA)

Note that this is a general definition. Through the resources available from the American Planning Association’s (APA) Agritourism Knowledgebase, additional definitions of the term are available. Pick which one fits your community.

Define Sub-uses

There’s also some other possible definitions that are related that you should look into. Some of these, you may be willing to rely on the commonly accepted definition for these terms. But what is that definition? Google definition of value-added agricultural product, you can get multiple definitions from multiple “expert” sites. Attorneys like to find the definition that they like if your regulations get challenged and there’s no definition specific to that sub-use. Here are a few sub-uses and other terms you should consider defining:

• Farmer’s Market/Roadside Stand
• U-Pick
• Shooting Preserve or Game Farming
• Winery
• Cider Mill
• Christmas Tree Farm
• Pumpkin Patch
• Agricultural Products
• Value-Added Agricultural Product
• Non-Agriculturally Related Products
• Seasonal

Different Ways to Implement for Different Communities

There’s four main ways to implement agritourism into your regulations:

• Use Permitted Outright in an Existing Zoning District
• Listed as a Conditional Use/Special Use in an Existing Zoning District
• Overlay Zoning District
• Stand-Alone Zoning District

The selection of which one is best for you is based on your level of comfort with agritourism as a whole and if you are concerned of the impact of an agritourism use  on its neighbors.

Allowing the uses outright is the fastest path to kick-starting agritourism in your area. But it also gives you the least amount of control to protect the surrounding landowners and your community.

If you’re going to allow it outright, it is recommended to add some Supplemental Use Regulations into your zoning ordinance in relation to Agritourism. With supplemental use regulations, you can set forth constraints in relation to maximum facility sizes, parking, noise, nuisances, hours of operation, signage, and other potential aspects that could have an impact on your community. You may not be able to deal with a specific issue due to the specific type of business or location, but most of the general problematic aspects of agritourism can be handled through supplemental regulations.

Conditional Use Permits provide the best controls because you can lay out specific conditions for each use. If the expectations are written specific and clear for those involved then many issues can be avoided. Also, the problems that do arise can be remedied through the enforcement of the permit.

In most states, conditional use permits/special use permits often require public hearings as part of the approval process. So it is also a good time for public input. To address the neighbors’ concerns before the use is approved.

Why this Matters

When zoning is clear, predictable, and based on standards used elsewhere, potential agritourism owners can move forward with their dreams with confidence. Communities are able to add a business, add an amenity, without adding frustration.

Agritourism works best when the rules acknowledge that farms can be places of production and connection. Proper zoning balance doesn’t just protect rural character, it helps ensure that farms remain part of the rural landscape for generations to come.

The post Zoning for Agritourism: Why Rules Matter appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

Wireless provider T-Mobile has partnered with Smart Growth America and Main Street America to develop a grant program that will help small towns and rural communities. They’ll be awarding up to 100 towns a year with up to $50,000 each. In all, the T-Mobile Hometown Grants is a $25 million commitment to helping small towns over the next five years.

The post Grant Spotlight: T-Mobile Hometown Grants appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

As always, three days of sessions provided an excellent learning opportunity in the planning and zoning field.

Rural Planning at the Nebraska Planning Conference

As it was a planning conference in Nebraska, planning and zoning issues for small towns were at the forefront of much of the discussion. Some of these sessions were:

• Housing Solutions for Nebraska
• Reversing Donut Development: Land Banks and the Vacant Property Registry
• Managing Land Use Impacts Through Right-Sizing Your Zoning Code
• Emerging Issues between the Public Records Act and AI
• Heritage Tourism in Planning
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Building a Great Trail Network
• Pulaski, Iowa: Small Town America’s Changing Cultural Landscapes

Welcome Keynote Speaker: The Beautifully Bearded Planners

Each year the Nebraska Planning Conference (#NEPC26) has two different keynote speakers. A Welcome Keynote speaks on the first day of the event, and a Conference Keynote speaks the following morning. This year, the conference had the Beautifully Bearded Planners as the Welcome Keynote.

TJ Dlubac, AICP (LinkedIn) and Josh Olhava, AICP (LinkedIn) make up the Beautifully Bearded Planners. These jolly fellows are full of energy, putting on a good show for those attending. They were able to get a good message across while getting a few chuckles as well.

Conference Keynote: Clint! Runge

The following day, Clint! Runge (LinkedIn) spoke to those in attendance as the Conference Keynote. Clint! Runge is CEO & Founder of Archrival, a youth culture agency that reinvents how brands win the hearts and minds of young adults. At the conference, he provided an energetic, passionate speech about the difference in the generations and how it can affect community planning and placemaking.

Provided below is a TEDx video where Clint! discusses the impact of technology on marketing and discusses how we should disconnect occasionally to experience life a little more.

Annual Awards Banquet

Beyond the regular educational offerings, the Nebraska Planning Conference also holds an awards banquet where the organizations reward those who have done exemplary things in the planning field. The Nebraska Planning and Zoning Association (@NPZA) and the Nebraska Chapter of the American Planning Association (@APA_Nebraska) hand out a few awards each year during this gala.

This year, the conference organizers provided a little ambiance during the social hour before the awards. The Kearney Jazz Society pulled out their musical instruments and set the mood for the gathering. It was a great touch to start things off. A few tears were shed afterwards though as NPZA celebrated its 60th anniversary with a slideshow with images through the years. We also celebrated long-term NPZA member Char Carpenter and wished her well in retirement.

Throwing Bags for Scholarships

One of the highlights of the conference was the Nebraska Planning Conference Cornhole Tournament! Twenty teams faced off in the tournament, with proceeds going to a scholarship fund for future planners at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Once again, this event was a big hit with proceeds going to a good cause.

Closing out the Nebraska Planning Conference

Once again, NEPC proved to be an affordable source of planning and zoning information for small-town city clerks, planning commissioners, and rural county zoning administrators.

 


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The post 2026 Nebraska Planning Conference – The Aftermath appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

Two Types of Safe Streets and Roads for All Grants

The program supports two different types of grants. One for the development of comprehensive safety action plans. The other is to fund implementation actions identified within the comprehensive safety action plan to address a roadway safety problem. Provided below is content from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website that differentiates the two types of grants further:

• Planning and Demonstration Grants provide Federal funds to develop, complete, or supplement a comprehensive safety action plan. The goal of an Action Plan is to develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, Tribe, or region. Planning and Demonstration Grants also fund supplemental planning and/or demonstration activities that inform the development of a new or existing Action Plan. The Department encourages including demonstration activities in an application.’

Examples of Planning and Demonstration Grant Projects

• Implementation Grants provide Federal funds to implement projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan to address a roadway safety problem. Projects and strategies can be infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational activities. Implementation Grants may also include demonstration activities, supplemental planning, and project-level planning, design, and development. Applicants must have an eligible Action Plan to apply for Implementation Grants. The Department encourages including demonstration activities in an application.

Examples of Implementation Grant Projects

Yes, Even Rural Communities are Encouraged to Apply

Unfortunately, many times rural communities are not even a consideration for these applications. But the Applicant Eligibility page of the program put rural communities at the top of their Additional Information about Applicant Eligibility section, stating:

“Rural communities are eligible and encouraged to apply.”

In federal FY22, the USDOT awarded $800 million in over 500 communities through the first round of grant funding. View all of the SS4A 2022 Awards.

Deadline of July 10, 2023

The deadline for applications is 5:00 p.m. (EDT) Monday, July 10, 2023. For more information on the grants available, check out the following links:

• Review the NOFO
• Visit our How to Apply page
• Visit our Resources page
• Review SS4A Frequently Asked Questions
• Attend a grant application webinar
• Learn about what’s new in 2023
• Review the Federal Register notice
• See the posting on Grants.gov

Read up on the grant information above and see if any are the right fit for your community.

The post The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

Time to celebrate! It’s National Community Development Week! Celebrated in April each year, this year’s festivities start, today, April 6th, and run through the week.

Celebrating a federal program with plenty of red tape may not be your ideal party, but Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding is important to rural communities across the nation. Block Grant funds have been instrumental in implementing impactful changes to numerous communities that couldn’t have otherwise afforded it. National Community Development week points out the vital importance of CDBGs and how the funding has made thousands of communities better.

The Council of State Community Development Agencies typically leads the way each year. Their website is packed with information, videos, templates, and more to help make your celebration of Community Development and CDBG a success.

The National Community Development Week Tool Kit

But COSCDA isn’t the only entity celebrating. The National Community Development Association’s Facebook page also provides a full toolkit for those who want to bring attention to Community Development that week. There is a myriad of facts, sample proclamations, and social media campaigns that your community can use to celebrate the week. The full toolkit for 2026 is available here:

National Community Development Week Toolkit

Not a One Trick Pony

In the past, I’ve discussed how CDBGs can Help Maintain Affordable Housing. This federal funding source was also utilized by the City of Clarinda, Iowa, to help with downtown revitalization. But there’s a variety of unique ways to use CBDG.

However, the CDBG program can also play an important role in disaster recovery by providing flexible federal funding that communities can use to rebuild infrastructure, restore housing, and support economic recovery after major events such as floods, tornadoes, or wildfires. Through CDBG funding, state and local governments to repair damaged public facilities, rehabilitate homes, assist displaced residents, and address long-term community needs that insurance and emergency relief programs often do not cover. Because the program is flexible, communities can tailor recovery investments to local priorities.

Check out this video below from HUD that introduces the CDBG-DR program and how it can help communities after a disaster:

Start Thinking About How You’ll Use CDBG

National Community Development Week is a great time to think about your next CDBG project. It is an ideal time to prioritize those projects that may be eligible to receive CDBG funding. It’s also a good time to start gathering the data and approvals needed to start working toward applying for funding.

Whatever the project, utilize the week to start the momentum toward your next CDBG-funded project to help your community.

The post National Community Development Week 2026 appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

This Year’s Destination: Detroit

Detroit, Motor City, the birthplace of Motown. There’s so much history and culture wrapped up in this city at the base of Michigan’s thumb. As a Mustang enthusiast, I’ve been craving to come to the home of the real American sports car (How’s that Camaro doing?). Unfortunately, the only manufacturing plant I’ll be able to tour is the Rouge Complex, where Ford trucks are assembled.

Foods are another regular draw for me. From January until I hop on the flight, I regularly gawk at hundreds of photos on Google Maps of the local eateries I want to try, trying not to drool too much over what they are serving. Detroit is famous for the Coney Dog and Detroit Style Pizza.

Then there’s Comerica Park. I’ve been a bit of a Tigers fan for a while now. So, since Comerica Park opened up in 2000, I’ve been hankering to check it out. From the massive tigers that greet you at the entrance to the unique throwback aspect of the path between the batter’s box and the pitcher’s mound, it is an intriguing ballpark.

Of course, there’s Detroit itself. A town that epitomises “resilience”. The City has been one of the hardest hit by suburban flight. A struggle that has been arguably going on for over 50 years. Looking at the aerials of the areas surrounding downtown, one can see the impact. Entire city blocks have been leveled. Eerily vacant spaces cover the landscape. These are not just a few desolate blocks, but hundreds spread across the land that surrounds the bustling core of the city. There will be a few sessions about Detroit’s plans for recovery during the conference. I’m looking forward to checking out their efforts.

NPC26 is a Two-Headed Monster of Learning

This year’s conference continues APA’s recent trend of making it a hybrid event. For those who cannot attend in person, the American Planning Association also offers online sessions a few weeks after the in-person event.

There are a few that have piqued my interest, though they might not be based on rural communities; they may have aspects that could be helpful to us on the rural side:

• New Ruralism: Town and County Collaboration in Planning
• High-Tech Tools for Small-Town Futures
• Regional Approaches to Infill Housing for Legacy Communities
• Trails: New Tool for Grant and Economic Justification
• Incremental Zoning Reform: Navigating the Political and Possible
• Save Mom-and-Pop Shops: Zoning for Microbusiness
• Public Pockets, Private Projects: Innovations in Economic Incentives
• Parchment City, Michigan – Small City, Big Brownfield!
• Why Planners Should Lead Infrastructure Project Development
• Local Programming: Redevelopment Ready Communities: Positioning Michigan Communities for Reinvestment
• Reconnecting Communities Through Highway-to-Boulevard Transformation
• Seamless: A Trail Plan to Connect Utah
• Destination Districts as Catalysts for Economic Development
• Placemaking Playbook: Economic Development Through Public-Private Partnerships

Much like last year, I’ll do a follow-up post on what went down, what I learned, and what readers might see more about in the coming months due to the conference.

I’m looking forward to NPC’26 in Detroit, the city that Henry Ford transformed into what was once the global epicenter of the automotive industry. I’m just as interested in seeing Detroit’s plans for its next transformation.

Be sure to follow Rural Resurrection on Twitter, as I’ll likely post a few times during the event.

The post APA NPC26 – Detroit Rock City appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

The first spotlight will be on a grant offered by USDA Rural Development. USDA-RD was actually my first foray into helping rural communities. During my college years I was able to undertake a few different jobs during my summers that helped shape my future. USDA-RD was one of those. That’s when I learned of the wide array of grant and loan programs available through USDA Rural Development.

One of those funding programs is the Economic Impact Initiative Grants. This program provides funds to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities. Public entities, non-profits, and federally-recognized tribes are all eligible applicants to this program.

Grant funds can be used to construct, enlarge or improve community facilities for health care, public safety, and public service. What’s better is that the grant funds can also be combined with other funding programs, including USDA-RD’s Community Facilities loans.

What Qualifies as Essential Community Facilities?

So what are essential community facilities? Here’s a listing from the grant’s webpage:

• Health Care: hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities
• Public Facilities: city/town/village halls, courthouses, airport hangers, street improvements
• Community Support Services: child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds, transitional housing
• Public Safety: fire halls, police stations, prisons, jails, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles, and equipment
• Educational: museums, libraries, private schools
• Utility:  telemedicine, distance learning
• Local Food Systems: community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs, greenhouses, kitchen appliances
• For a complete list, see Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3570.7

Examples of Projects

A few examples of the grant awards under this program includes:

• Munising Memorial Hospital – Received $63,000 in Economic Impact Initiative Grant funding to purchase a mobile x-ray room. The mobile x-ray room will be used to benefit more than 9,600 residents in and around Munising, Michigan.
• City of Bayard, Nebraska – Received $17,700 for purchase of extraction equipment for the local fire department.
• Creative Adventure Lab – Received $66,500 to purchase equipment for the Monticello Creative Adventure Lab for build-out activities to provide educational programs to kids and families and to help improve economic development efforts by supporting entrepreneurs and existing business growth in Jones County, Iowa.

Get Started Now

First, check out USDA’s page on the Economic Impact Initiative Grants program. As with any grant program, there are a number of requirements your project must meet and a number of different aspects about the program your community should know about before considering applying for funding.

Then reach out to your local USDA Rural Development office to talk about your potential project. Local USDA-RD representatives are the best resources to find your way through the funding process through USDA. If you don’t know where your local office is located, check out the State Offices page on their website. From there you can drill down to your state office’s page and find the local office for your community from there.

Grants featured in Grant Spotlight posts are also on the Rural Resurrection Tool Kit page. For more grant opportunities, check out the Tool Kit page.

The post Grant Spotlight: USDA Economic Impact Initiative Grants appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

After attending the session, I considered how other states have similar programs and how effective they are for rural communities. That led me to write a post about Michigan’s program and how these programs can benefit your own community.

Basics of the Redevelopment Ready Communities Program

The Redevelopment Ready Communities program started in the inner-ring suburbs of Detroit as a way to spur redevelopment in that beleaguered metro area. There were a number of best practices that were developed in the process of helping those communities that members of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation felt needed to keep alive and apply statewide.

Most of the programs take a look at the variety of plans (or lack thereof) that your community has. This includes the community’s comprehensive plan, any corridor improvement plans, downtown plans, housing studies, etc. It is often that developers look at these plans when working through the due diligence process. So take these plans off the shelf, dust them off, and see if they need to be updated.

The Michigan group also takes a look at each community’s Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). This is a good aspect that programs in all other states should incorporate. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has found several communities that didn’t have CIPs in place. This is an alarming, but unfortunately common occurrence in many small communities, not just those in Michigan.

The program also takes a look at the community’s redevelopment processes. It reviews the regulations and processes to standardize and streamline in preparation for development.

Other Midwest States with Similar Programs

A number of other Midwestern states have similar programs. Nebraska’s program is probably the closest in design. Other states focus more on development sites than the community as a whole. Regardless, each of these programs are useful to your town.

Nebraska – Economic Development Certified Communities

Other Midwestern states have certification programs that are more site-specific. This includes the states of:

Indiana – Indiana Site Certified

Iowa – Iowa Certified Site Program

South Dakota – Certified Site Program

Minnesota – Shovel-Ready Site Certification

Missouri – Missouri Certified Sites Program

Kansas – Certified Sites Program

What’s the Payoff?

Undertaking a program like Michigan Redevelopment Ready Communities strengthens local capacity. Involved communities receive technical assistance, modernize outdated codes, identify priority development/redevelopment sites, and help to align city staff and elected officials for a shared development vision.

Also, certification processes like Michigan’s RRC program improve competitiveness for grants and state/federal resources. It doesn’t guarantee funding, but it positions communities to capture opportunities when they appear.

So if your state has a community certification process, it is highly recommended that you take a look into it. It may not immediately result in development. But it is simply a good process for assessing your community’s readiness for development. For more on Michigan’s program, check out their website.

Looking Forward to an Update

At this year’s conference in Detroit, representatives of MEDC will be hosting this session once again. It’ll be interesting to see how the program has grown since 2019 and the impacts it has had on rural communities in Michigan.

The post Michigan Redevelopment Ready Communities appeared first on Rural Resurrection.

Adaptive Reuse

Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets.

Administrative

Posts with no real category. Some are general site marketing posts like, “Ways to Follow Rural Resurrection”. Others like “Minnesota Towns” provide background information for future articles”

Destination Towns

Destination Towns is a relatively new series on Rural Resurrection. These towns are unique and boldly different, towns that stick out in a crowd and draw people in rather than letting them fly through.

Downtown Revitalization

Ideas and proven examples about renovating downtowns. Includes posts about economic development, grants, activating, fundraising and success stories.

Events / Conferences

Annual observances, conferences, and other activities that can have an impact on our communities, directly or indirectly.

Ghost Towns

There’s an old saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is important to learn from these ghost towns to help us avoid our communities becoming one as well. However, some of the stories in this category are just interesting tales to read.

Helping Hand

Programs and volunteer activities that can help your community. This category isn’t about grants, it is more about assistance to energize a populace into action.

Housing

Articles about all aspects of rural housing. Topics include; affordable housing, fair housing, workforce housing, repair and maintenance as well.

Marketing

Community marketing is a strategy to engage an audience in an active, non-intrusive prospect and customer conversation. Whereas marketing communication strategies such as advertising, promotion, PR, and sales all focus on attaining customers, Community Marketing focuses on the perceived needs of existing customers.

Planning the Future

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever- growing insistency.” – Daniel Burnham. This category dives into the need to plan for your community’s future.

Regulatory

What regulatory actions can you take to help your community out? Is there a new issue affecting other communities that your community needs to be prepared for with proper regulation?

Star Communities

These are communities that deserve recognition for what they have accomplished. Much like receiving a gold star from your teacher as a kid.

Thinking Outside the Box

Existing initiatives which may be working elsewhere, but may not have received enough press to trickle down to some parts of the Midwest. Or bold new ideas that just might work.

Tool Kit

The Tool Kit post category provides information on grants and other sources of assistance to help make community projects a reality. Often sample projects are provided to provide an example of how these tools can help your own community.

Tough Issues

Every community goes through tough times. Whether it happens to be tornadoes, floods, or a major employer leaving town. The key is to learn from their heartaches and their perseverance to embolden your own community when problems strike.

Tourism

The Tourism post category provides ideas to nurture the tourism sector of your community’s economic development activities.

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