Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Americana
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 […]
This article launches our November series: From Ideas to Action—A Month of Praxis and Implementation in Rural Communities. Over the next five weeks, we’ll explore how small towns drive rural progress by combining local knowledge with practical implementation strategies. We’re starting with the basics: What is praxis in rural planning, and why does it matter? […]
When rural communities face big challenges, they often turn to their greatest strength: each other. Across the United States and Canada, small towns are not just exchanging ideas—they’re creating policy that works. From cross-sector partnerships and locally led innovation to smart governance reform, rural America is building solutions grounded in collaboration, flexibility, and place-based leadership. […]
Policy and Governance is our April theme this year. What better way to kick off the topic than the American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference (NPC25) which took place in Denver, Colorado, this year. Good Planning Practice Good planning practice is key to good public policy and governance, which is essential to building resilient […]
“Know Thyself” urges the inscription on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, repeated throughout the Platonic dialogues of ancient Greece. In 1651, Thomas Hobbes opens Leviathan by urging his readers nosce te ipsum—only by study can we understand our world. In building community, no matter if you choose a traditional dichotomy between Action and Planning, or adopt a cumulative and […]
H/T to StrongTowns Blog for a News Digest item on a Bloomberg op-ed/ investigative/ advocacy journalism piece on my college state of Illinois. Chuck’s commentary hits a couple hot buttons (e.g. “economic development” vs “industrial recruitment”) and, well, how much Illinois in general is messed up. When Chuck Marohn visited Laramie a couple weeks ago, […]
Oil drilling rig counts are at an all-time high… or dropping off, depending which report you read which week for which area. Overall, industry source Baker Hughes reports relatively stable activity, declining slightly to levels just below last year nationally. Last week there were 895 rigs drilling in Texas, 199 in Oklahoma, and 186 in […]
