Rural Renewal
Revitalizing Downtown Hope
Planning for a Resilient Future *originally posted on Etsi-BC News For thousands of people who travel to and from the Lower Mainland, the community of Hope, located at the junction of four major highways, is a regular stopping point for information, food, fuel, and accommodation. As a new plan to revitalize Hope’s downtown rolls out,…
Read MoreWhat is Rural Policy Today? A pan-Canadian scan of policies for rural spaces
Rural regions are at the forefront of change. As our great green places—with the vast majority of land and natural resources—they are central to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Read the full report here: Rural-Policies-CRRF-2022 The rapid need to de-carbonize economies is leading to large new investments in renewable energy infrastructure, transforming rural landscapes…
Read MoreRankin MacSween’s “Keeping It Rural” Keynote
Rankin MacSween, who gave an amazingly inspirational keynote speech at our 2015 Keeping It Rural conference, one that people still talk about, followed that up with an equally inspiring address at our most recent Keeping It Rural gathering in Kelowna. For over three decades, Rankin has led Canada’s oldest – and most successful – community…
Read MoreImagination, Co-Operation Help Secure Future in Atlantic Canada’s Small Towns
Luck and pluck. For some small towns in Atlantic Canada the path to survival has been just that: one of luck and pluck — or should that be the other way around? After all, the adage “the harder I work, the luckier I get” has been proved time and time again by rural citizens. In…
Read MorePreserving Critical Rural Business Sevices
Many rural communities are experiencing the closure of retail businesses like grocery stores, hardware stores, and service stations that provide important services to their residents. From the newsletter put out our good friend and colleague, Peter Kenyon of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S., here’s a great little video on how one very small Australian rural community…
Read MoreOne Maine Town Tees Up New Economic Development
Biddeford, Maine, saw a dramatic economic turnaround after the Orton Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul program helped shape the town’s Master Plan. Biddeford’s Economic Development Director, Daniel Stevenson, talks about how having a solid road map opened the door for $78 million in new projects downtown, including a hotel, new businesses, apartments, and shops. …
Read MoreBetween a Lake and a High Place
Experiential tourism operations are popping up all over rural BC, taking full advantage of the province’s varied — and spectacular — terrain, its rich cultural resources, and the hunger among jaded city dwellers to experience “something unique.” This article by Gina Begin, originally posted on kootenayrockies.com, describes a small, rural BC company that takes the word “experiential” quite…
Read MorePeter Kenyon to BC?
Peter Kenyon, Australian-based founder of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S and renowned rural development leader, has made a lasting impression on scores of rural BC stakeholders over the past couple of years. BC Rural Centre Executive Director Gordon Borgstrom has announced Kenyon may be back in our neck of the woods soon. “It looks like Peter…
Read MoreRural Innovation & Youth Attraction
If rural communities are to survive — let alone prosper — in the 21st century, they need to innovate. And through that innovation, attract a new wave of creative, entrepreneurial Millennials to our small towns and rural regions. This audio version of a BC Rural Centre webinar features two inspiring advocates of rural innovation —…
Read MoreYouth Exodus to Art Epicentre?
What kind of future should a struggling rural town choose? In the town of Green River, Utah, population 950, a nonprofit called Epicenter aims to use art and architecture to bring youthful new energy, life, and economic development to the community, as Jeffrey Brown reports in this PBS video.
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