Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Americana
Implementing arts-driven community and economic development to improve the places we live and love. Seasonal arts and culture ideas can be powerful drivers of economic growth in communities large and small, creating jobs, boosting tourism, and fostering local engagement. For community planners and economic developers, these initiatives act as valuable “cultural anchors,” stabilizing local economies […]
Planners like to plan, and economic developers like to develop, but at the end of the day it’s about what we do to implement the plan that gets things done. Becky McCray and Deb Brown are practical people from small towns who are not planners—they are do-ers. Their mission is to help people get things […]
Agritainment—a fusion of agriculture and entertainment—has quickly become a popular approach to enliven both rural and urban-edge environments. Attractions like corn mazes, pumpkin patches, u-pick fields, apple orchards, and even craft wineries, breweries, and distilleries offer families, friends, and tourists a refreshing escape from the urban routine. Here’s why urban planners should embrace this trend […]
The “Bad Emperor” Problem “An authoritarian system can move much more quickly and decisively than a democratic one, but its success is ultimately dependent on having a continuing supply of good leaders—good not just in a technocratic sense but in their commitment to shared public goals rather than self-enrichment or personal power.” —Francis Fukuyama, Political […]
Aging in Rural America – As the population of rural America continues to age, planning for elder care has become a critical issue. While rural life is often celebrated for its close-knit communities and quiet, pastoral landscapes, it also presents significant challenges when it comes to providing care for an aging population. From access to […]
At their public hearing on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, the City of Burwell, Nebraska, City Council adopted the new Burwell, Nebraska, Comprehensive Plan, as well as a new Zoning Ordinance, Official Zoning Map, and Subdivision Regulations, as recommended by the Planning Commission. The Burwell City Council also voted to accept the Burwell Strategic Plan and […]
“A few years ago, the Colorado Department of Transportation placed an advertising billboard high over Colfax Avenue in Denver reminding drivers to keep their eyes on the road, something that would be impossible to do while also looking at the billboard… There is a great billboard safety study from a couple years ago suggesting that […]
“At Strong Towns, we push back on the concept of a “solution.” There is no solution to the housing trap we find ourselves in… it’s always been an approach… People need to be able to try things, to respond to street or opportunity as it presents to them. Those responses need to be incremental, a […]
The City of Aztec and Consensus Planning hosted an online Public Meeting, July 30, 2020, for the Aztec Comprehensive Plan Update project. I worked in Aztec, New Mexico, on a temporary basis before I moved up to Pagosa Springs a few years ago. I worked on some Downtown Main Street projects and helped review some […]
PAGOSA SPRINGS—More people moved into Colorado last year than moved out, continuing the State’s trend of population growth. In 2018, approximately 239,000 people were attracted to Colorado and just over 203,000 people left, for a net gain of about 36,000, according to the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) estimates released October 31st. In […]