Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Americana
If you spend any time in the trenches of local government or economic development, you learn pretty quickly that the story on the front page and the story on the ground are not the same thing. The press release might celebrate a new plant or a ribbon cutting, but the real test of a local […]
You’ve seen the headlines—in print or online—heralding the impending doom of Rural America (or Canada, or Australia, or wherever you call home). When I see click-bait like these (hey, even online newspapers have to sell content) I try to pause, breath deeply, and try to work out the context. OK, whatever. But what do the […]
When I say “economic development”, what comes to mind? Is it big industrial plants and multi-million dollar tax incentives? I wouldn’t be surprised. That is so 1960s. Welcome to the later 2020s. For many years now, especially in small towns and rural places, economic development looks a lot more ordinary—and a lot more interesting. It […]
Thank you to Joe Barker for inviting me to join his Rural Strong podcast this week. “John Shepard, If you fail to plan, plan to fail! Our guest on the RuralStrong podcast is John Shepard, a seasoned planning and economic development professional at Marvin Planning Consultants. John has over 30 years of experience across the […]
Rural housing isn’t just one problem, it’s three braided together. Demography is tugging at our small towns with aging neighbors, fewer kids, and new folks drifting in and out on search of jobs and housing. The cost of living rural no longer pencils out for everyone who’d like to be here, especially when wages, materials, […]
The Winter Olympics have returned for their once-in-four year run. While winter weather has mostly passed over the Midwest and Western US for points East, generally outside Florida and Southern California we are a four-season people, like it or not. The Winter Cities movement is a community-building approach which treats cold, snowy winters as something […]
Demography is destiny, the old saying goes, but if the last few years have taught us anything, it is that destiny is rarely a straight line. Demographic trends used to feel like slow‑moving background noise—births, deaths, and migration quietly nudging our communities from decade to decade. Now those same forces are front‑page news, from aging […]
Small Town & Rural Comprehensive Planning: JCShepard.com’s Theme for 2026 Comprehensive planning in small towns and rural counties is not a big complicated urban process writ small. It is about neighbors deciding what kind of place they want to be in the future… and then putting that promise in writing so the next subdivision, the […]
This has been a great year for our blog here at JCShepard.com. A lot of things to discuss regarding Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Americana, wherever you may be. Now the holidays are upon us, let’s take a look back at the posts which you, our readers, have given the most interaction over the […]
The fields of urban and rural planning, community development, and sustainability are evolving faster than ever. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your journey, the right planning books and sustainability books can offer fresh insights, practical tools, and long-term vision. This curated list is a mix of casual and academic reads—including new releases […]
