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As rural communities explore new ways to stimulate growth and development in their place, one of the biggest challenges they face is reinventing what rural community development is and has been. The conventional way of thinking goes communities must attract new businesses to attract new workers to grow a community's population. However, population growth and industry attraction are not always equivalent to progress, especially not in rural communities. For decades, rural communities have withstood the boom and bust of industry and economy, whether it be agricultural, industrial, manufacturing, etc. These industries and more have demanded the extraction of rural communities' assets, resources, and talents to be used and shipped elsewhere for the prosperity of other places. This has left many rural communities desolate and dependent upon outside forces for support. This extractive cycle not only drains rural communities of people and economic wealth but also impacts a place's overall quality of life and natural landscape. The abundant natural resources found in rural areas have long been sources of industry and life. They often were the source of many communities' founding and first enterprises. These natural resources are what make communities rural and contribute to their identity and culture. However, what is to happen to these places when the overdevelopment and commercialization of rural landscapes take over? The extractive cycle's prevalence in rural communities has created two outcomes. The first is the morphing of rural communities into suburban or industrial places. The second is the complete abandonment of a rural community entirely due to the failure of said development. Ultimately, the extractive cycle robs rural communities of their rural identity and exploits the very source of what makes them rural - natural resources. This plan proposes a reinvention of this traditional community development practice in rural communities and hopes to help them remain rural while still progressing as a place. Natural Asset Based Community Development (NABCD) is a unique rural community development tool that reverses the extractive cycle by intentionally investing in environmental and natural assets that are already present in a community. Natural assets are the resources naturally found in a place's physical environment. Such assets include water, soil, plants, and animals. These assets play a vital role in the economy and industry of a place and the quality of life potential of a place. NABCD proposes that communities view their natural assets as sources for new business opportunities, people and talent recruitment, unique recreational and tourist experiences, and more. This community development approach considers the environmental, social, and cultural value of natural assets and maximizes their use and impact in rural communities. Similar to workforce development, affordable housing, business and industry recruitment, and other common community development approaches, natural assets offer their own value to the community development equation. In this plan, two case studies will present how NABCD has been successfully applied in two communities - Norfolk, Nebraska, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Both of these communities have emphasized a natural asset in their place and invested significantly into the development of those assets. Norfolk, Nebraska in recent years, has taken significant steps toward reinvesting into their North Fork Riverfront, including a redesign that allows for white-water rafting, a reinvigorated community space in the park that abuts the river, and new commercial and residential opportunities along its banks. The results of this recent reinvestment have helped spur serious economic growth throughout the entire community. Local sales tax receipts from the years 2016 - 2021 (before the project to the present day) prove how the North Fork Riverfront Redevelopment project has sparked new energy in the downtown area, contributing to a significant increase in local spending and new business growth. 6 The next case study is a well-known, Midwest community practicing NABCD - Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This community had not always properly invested in the unique natural resources its place had to offer. However, once community leaders and the city bought into the idea of fixing up Falls Park, the city saw almost an immediate return on investment in population growth. 2020 US Census Bureau data will prove how population growth saw consistent increases over the decades as this project progressed as compared to a city of similar size in the Midwest - Lincoln, Nebraska. The outcomes of both of these cases present data-driven results that prove how NABCD can contribute to a community's overall wealth and continued growth. These results, as well as NABCD recommendations, are presented in this plan for the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF), a non-profit, statewide community development organization that works to help rural Nebraska communities achieve their dreams through philanthropy, grant assistance, and capacity building programs, to establish the NABCD framework. In its work as a non-profit community development organization, NCF assists more than 200 Nebraska community foundations from all across the state. They provide education and training opportunities, resources, policy assistance, gift planning guides, and a virtual library full of "real-life examples of the impressive work affiliated funds are doing across the state," (NebraskaHometowns.org, 2021). Through this support, community funds are empowered to raise local dollars for unrestricted community projects, including early childhood centers, activity centers, health and wellness facilities, as well as developing grant opportunities to support local community organizations. This place-based approach to community development is the foundation of NCF and what has made them so successful over the last 25 years. This has also made them a fitting partner to support this plan's work and promote it throughout their network of Nebraska communities. Although NCF is focused on rural community development, currently, there is not a concentrated effort within its network to incorporate natural assets into that work. NCF's leadership, however, recognizes the important role natural assets play in the future of Nebraska hometowns and their economic prosperity. Therefore, as the client of this professional project, NCF has initiated this plan as a first step toward incorporating natural assets into their community development work. This plan will provide NCF with a framework for NABCD, recommendations for implementation, and two case studies of communities that have successfully integrated this approach into their place. NCF intends to use this plan to assist in its future program and partnership development, as well as to guide future goal setting for the organization which prioritizes natural assets. Ultimately, this plan will assist NCF and its entire network of 270 Nebraska communities in seeing their natural environment as a highly valuable community asset to be invested in.
This volume explores new opportunities to reshape local economies in rural areas during the next decade by exploring successful efforts already underway. While reported population declines can paint a bleak picture for rural areas, a different story can be told in looking at the numbers of households, employment, and housing markets. In fact, many rural areas have had steady employment and healthy housing markets. Rural attractions often include proximity to natural recreation areas, personal safety, social interaction, less expensive housing, and high-quality education. This book shows that rural areas are in a major long-term transition and that local leaders who take advantage of these opportunities in their community and economic development strategies can create a very positive future for residents. Students and policymakers in local economic development, sociology of population change, business finance, political economy, and geography will find this a useful resource.
Beginning with the foundations of community development, An Introduction to Community Development offers a comprehensive and practical approach to planning for communities. Road-tested in the authors’ own teaching, and through the training they provide for practicing planners, it enables students to begin making connections between academic study and practical know-how from both private and public sector contexts. An Introduction to Community Development shows how planners can utilize local economic interests and integrate finance and marketing considerations into their strategy. Most importantly, the book is strongly focused on outcomes, encouraging students to ask: what is best practice when it comes to planning for communities, and how do we accurately measure the results of planning practice? This newly revised and updated edition includes: increased coverage of sustainability issues, discussion of localism and its relation to community development, quality of life, community well-being and public health considerations, and content on local food systems. Each chapter provides a range of reading materials for the student, supplemented with text boxes, a chapter outline, keywords, and reference lists, and new skills based exercises at the end of each chapter to help students turn their learning into action, making this the most user-friendly text for community development now available.
The national recession forced many communities to examine new and innovative ways to promote local economic development, resulting in long-term community changes. New techniques and approaches were used to identify available opportunities and programs which could take advantage of development opportunities. A common theme among the contributions to this book is a focus on building leadership capacity, and several chapters discuss the successful practices which are aimed at bringing new leaders into local development efforts. Especially important are ways to identify youth and young adults, and designing programs that bring them into active leadership roles within community development efforts. On a broader scale, several authors present material regarding building local entrepreneurship capacity, and recognizing that entrepreneurs at different stages in their development have different training and support needs. The discussions in this book will help local policymakers and development practitioners better understand the various development techniques, and find ways to build capacity within their community, stimulating development. This information will be especially useful for groups interested in engaging youth and populations who, in the past, have not been especially active in discussions about community and economic development. This book was originally published as a special issue of Community Development.
Working with Vulnerable Families embodies the universal edict - that for societies to flourish we must enhance the opportunities for our children to reach their physical, intellectual, emotional and social potential. For families facing issues of marginalisation, poverty, domestic violence, drug and alcohol dependence or mental illness, such ideals can seem particularly daunting. In a thoroughly candid and engaging style, this groundbreaking text transcends narrow professional boundaries to demonstrate how those working in diverse health, education and social welfare settings can work collaboratively with one another and with parents to protect, nurture and support young children from birth to 8 years. The book draws together a broad range of research-based theory, practice wisdom and successful real-world exemplars to explicate the core values, knowledge and skills required when working with families with multiple and complex needs.
Communities in rural America are a complex mixture of peoples and cultures, ranging from miners who have been laid off in West Virginia, to Laotian immigrants relocating in Kansas to work at a beef processing plant, to entrepreneurs drawing up plans for a world-class ski resort in California's Sierra Nevada. Rural Communities: Legacy and Change uses its unique Community Capitals framework to examine how America's diverse rural communities use their various capitals (natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built) to address the modern challenges that face them. Each chapter opens with a case study of a community facing a particular challenge, and is followed by a comprehensive discussion of sociological concepts to be applied to understanding the case. This narrative, topical approach makes the book accessible and engaging for undergraduate students, while its integrative approach provides them with a framework for understanding rural society based on the concepts and explanations of social science. This fifth edition is updated throughout with 2013 census data and features new and expanded coverage of health and health care, food systems and alternatives, the effects of neoliberalism and globalization on rural communities, as well as an expanded resource and activity section at the end of each chapter.
This book investigates the role of wealth in achieving sustainable rural economic development. The authors define wealth as all assets net of liabilities that can contribute to well-being, and they provide examples of many forms of capital – physical, financial, human, natural, social, and others. They propose a conceptual framework for rural wealth creation that considers how multiple forms of wealth provide opportunities for rural development, and how development strategies affect the dynamics of wealth. They also provide a new accounting framework for measuring wealth stocks and flows. These conceptual frameworks are employed in case study chapters on measuring rural wealth and on rural wealth creation strategies. Rural Wealth Creation makes numerous contributions to research on sustainable rural development. Important distinctions are drawn to help guide wealth measurement, such as the difference between the wealth located within a region and the wealth owned by residents of a region, and privately owned versus publicly owned wealth. Case study chapters illustrate these distinctions and demonstrate how different forms of wealth can be measured. Several key hypotheses are proposed about the process of rural wealth creation, and these are investigated by case study chapters assessing common rural development strategies, such as promoting rural energy industries and amenity-based development. Based on these case studies, a typology of rural wealth creation strategies is proposed and an approach to mapping the potential of such strategies in different contexts is demonstrated. This book will be relevant to students, researchers, and policy makers looking at rural community development, sustainable economic development, and wealth measurement.
In the devastation that follows a major disaster, there is a need for multiple sectors to unite and devote new resources to support the rebuilding of infrastructure, the provision of health and social services, the restoration of care delivery systems, and other critical recovery needs. In some cases, billions of dollars from public, private and charitable sources are invested to help communities recover. National rhetoric often characterizes these efforts as a "return to normal." But for many American communities, pre-disaster conditions are far from optimal. Large segments of the U.S. population suffer from preventable health problems, experience inequitable access to services, and rely on overburdened health systems. A return to pre-event conditions in such cases may be short-sighted given the high costs - both economic and social - of poor health. Instead, it is important to understand that the disaster recovery process offers a series of unique and valuable opportunities to improve on the status quo. Capitalizing on these opportunities can advance the long-term health, resilience, and sustainability of communities - thereby better preparing them for future challenges. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters identifies and recommends recovery practices and novel programs most likely to impact overall community public health and contribute to resiliency for future incidents. This book makes the case that disaster recovery should be guided by a healthy community vision, where health considerations are integrated into all aspects of recovery planning before and after a disaster, and funding streams are leveraged in a coordinated manner and applied to health improvement priorities in order to meet human recovery needs and create healthy built and natural environments. The conceptual framework presented in Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters lays the groundwork to achieve this goal and provides operational guidance for multiple sectors involved in community planning and disaster recovery. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters calls for actions at multiple levels to facilitate recovery strategies that optimize community health. With a shared healthy community vision, strategic planning that prioritizes health, and coordinated implementation, disaster recovery can result in a communities that are healthier, more livable places for current and future generations to grow and thrive - communities that are better prepared for future adversities.