Archive for the ‘Quality of Life’ Category

Got (interesting) people?

February 22nd, 2010

Yesterday I caught a Tweet from @Richard_Florida which read, “When I asked Jane Jacobs about this, she said: ‘When a place gets boring even the rich people leave.’  http://is.gd/8RwVh…”.

I believe the “this” Florida references is the gentrification of some urban neighborhoods, especially as it occurs in once down-and-out and working class neighborhoods. 

I draw this conclusion largely from the New York Times article that he links to titled “A Contrarian’s Lament in a Blitz of Gentrification.”

The article looks at the gentrification of New York City’s neighborhoods, through the eyes of Sharon Zukin, a Brooklyn College professor.  Zurkin laments this gentrification and identifies urban theorist Jane Jacobs as partially to blame.

Jacobs looked at cities as organic, self-regulating organisms that planners often screwed up.  She loathed the suburban car culture and it’s sterile, middle-class only suburbs.  Her zeal for local economy, mixed use neighborhoods and a bottom up approach to community planning have no doubt played a role in the resurgence of urban neighborhoods across the country.  But as the article points out, gentrification can be an unwanted result.

I’m a huge fan of Jane Jacobs, but Zurkin raises some good points.  I found one of her comments in the article particularly interesting:

“Much of what made these neighborhoods unique lives on only in the buildings, not the people.” (source:  Michael Powell, “A Contrarian’s Lament in a Blitz of Gentrification,”  New York Times, 2-18-10)

People, not buildings, make a place interesting.  That’s something all of us in community development should hold onto.

I also think most of our small, rural communities could benefit from becoming “more interesting,” and I’d advocate that we consider some of Jane Jacobs’s ideas for inspiration. 

To begin we can look at the physical design of our communities as a starting point.  Simply put, we have to look better.  It’s that belief that lead the Rural Learning Center to co-develop Design:SD. 

But design alone is not the answer.  We must showcase the talents and creativity of the people who live in our small towns.  That’s why the emphasis on cultural activities in Dr. David Ivan’s “Can Small Towns be Cool?” research resonates with me.  It’s also part of the reason I advocate that rural communities consider the strategy of developing “third places” as a part of their economic development plan. 

The above are by no means the only ways rural communities can become more interesting.  But it’s a start.

So what’s your community doing to make itself more interesting? 

 

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10 Reasons “Third Places” matter to Rural Communities

January 26th, 2010

Admittedly, I go a little overboard on emphasizing the importance of “third places” to the future of rural communities, but my gut tells me they play a more vital role in the social and economic wellbeing of our rural communities than most people give them credit for.   

For those who haven’t heard of them before, third places are where people meet and socialize outside of their homes (first places) and their work (second places). Sociologist Ray Oldenburg is credited with drawing attention to third places through his influential book, The Great Good Place.  Back in January 2009, I wrote this post titled “Does your Community need a Coffee Shop and other Third Places?”  It’s still one of our more popular posts here at Reimagine Rural.    

Lacking in any of my previous writing about third places, however, is a comprehensive explanation of how third places impact the economic wellbeing of small, rural communities - or any community for that matter.  For that reason, I’ve produced the following resource guide to illuminate why rural communities must get serious about their efforts to develop strong third places in their communities. 

10 Reasons Third Places Matter to Rural Communities

1. Third places are cool…and rural places could stand a little cool. It’s no secret that young people today crave “cool” environments to live and hang out. What receives less attention, however, is research that suggests Gen Yers often choose where to live before seeking permanent employment; and that “coolness” plays a role in this decision making process. If true, this tells us that for rural communities to attract young people, they need to develop some cool places young people crave. And what better way to do it than by creating a place where young and old can get together. (Another article on the subject can be found here.)

2. Third places introduce new people to the community. I’ve noted in previous posts, how important it is for new residents and visitors to feel welcomed by a community.  Wall Street Journal writer Gwendolyn Bounds offers a personal perspective of how Guinans, an Irish pub, welcomed her into the Garrison, NY community and played a critical role in her choice to move there. As Bounds came to frequent the pub, “regulars” at Guinans taught her (a former NYC resident) a great deal about how to live in a rural community (i.e. use a chain saw, fix the plumbing, and deal with the snow). It’s possible that new residents can become a part of a community without a third place, but third places seem to make the process a lot easier.

3. Third Places improve the quality of life in a community. Quality of life means different things to different people. Some say quality of life requires a community to have a strong “night life.” Other, say it requires safe environments. But as this research suggests, people who live in communities with third places perceive the quality of life in their community as being higher than those who live without them.

4. Third Places are good for tourism. When people go on vacation they are typically looking for a unique experience. More and more, they also want that experience to be authentic. In other words, they want to get a sense of a community’s character, rather than an image developed by a corporate marketing department. If your community has a scenic wonder like the Grand Canyon, or man-made attraction like the Mall of America, you may not need to worry about a third place. But as tourism expert Roger Brooks of Destination Development Inc. notes, third places are a part of each community’s “brand” and can become places where locals and visitors meet each other. If you want further proof on the importance of third places to tourism, just look at what the Irish pub has done for tourism in Ireland.

5. Third places can help improve the business climate in your small town. Increasingly entrepreneurs need to work from anywhere and at anytime. That’s why cell service, broadband internet, and wifi accessibility are vital infrastructure to any rural community. But does your community have a place where entrepreneurs can meet with clients and business partners, take advantage of technology, and remain connected to the office? If not, your community may be frustrating entrepreneurs more than you realize.

6. Third places stimulate creativity. I work from home quite a bit. Sometimes, the solitude becomes deafening, and I need to be around people. I’ve discovered that in addition to combating isolation, third places help stimulate both my productivity and creativity. Surprisingly, I’m not alone. I recently learned that J.K. Rowlings turns to cafés for inspiration while writing her monumental Harry Potter books. Now she’s creative! (And just think what would happen if a third place in your community inspired the next Harry Potter series.)

7. Third Places help people age in place. Back in the 1990s, the Rural Learning Center focused on developing senior housing options (like independent and assisted living) in our community because we learned that helping seniors age in place was important to their quality of life. F. Kaid Benfield recognized that same issue in this blog post where he emphasized that communities who follow smart growth principles should develop third places for seniors that they can walk to. The point here is that seniors need to be active and engaged. That could be accomplished with a senior citizens facility. But a more efficient use of resources would involve developing third places where all generations visit.

8. Third Places can help create jobs.  Cooltown Studios has published numerous blogs posts about third places in urban areas.  I particularly like this post, which highlights how third places help build conversations that lead to entrepreneurial thinking, a requirement for growing our economy.   On one hand, saying that third places lead to job growth is a bit abstract for me, but I do believe it’s a good reminder that entrepreneurs need places to network and build conversations in order to generate new ideas that will hopefully lead to job growth. 

9. Third Places will never be replaced by social networking sites like Facebook. There’s a school of thought suggesting that physical third places are being replaced by virtual ones. In other words, Facebook is the new third place. Now let me be clear: I believe rural communities should consider developing an online social networking strategy as a part of their economic development work. It’s a great way to connect with people both inside and outside your community. But as Mary Newsom writes on Citiwire: online social networks as third places are “mere metaphors for the real thing.”

10. Third Places help build conversation …. and conversation leads to trust. One of the beautiful things about quality third places is that they bring together people of all socio-economic backgrounds. As conversation emerges in a third place, people begin to know, understand, and trust each other. Sociologists call this bridging social capital and have recognized its importance in community and economic development in rural places. (As this paper suggest, bridging social capital is the entry point for strengthening your community socially and economically.) On a basic level, most of us can appreciate that whenever people come together for open conversation, they begin to trust each other. And when people trust each other, it’s a lot easier to get things done in our communities.

I’ve been thinking and writing about the importance of third places in rural communities for a couple years now, and I’ve really noticed the growth of good resources being published online. In addition to sharing some of those resources as links above, I’ve attempted to save my favorites to my Delicious account.  Even though I’ve saved over 60 recourses, I know the list is incomplete. 

That’s why I’d like to ask for your help.  Feel free to check out my list of favorites on Delicious, but just as important, please share your favorites with me.  And don’t think that my “10 Reasons Third Places are important to Rural Communities” list above is complete either.  I plan to revise the list in the near future, and include your thoughts and new discoveries in it.

 

Photo Credits:

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Rural Midwest: Still in a recession or better than most think?

December 4th, 2009

So which of the following statements accurately describes the economy of rural Midwestern communities?  “Survey shows rural Midwest still in a recession” or “Rural America more prosperous than expected.”

I caught both of the above titled articles Tuesday while mining Twitter for information on rural communities.  Both were released on the same day (Dec. 1), and suggest contradictory opinions about what’s happening in the rural Midwest. 

So what gives?  Is our economy in the tank or are we doing better than most people assume? Could it be both?

Can we trust the sources?

Let me begin by saying that both articles come from reliable sources:

It’s important to note that the University of Illinois study differs in one other significant way - it attempts to measure community prosperity without relying on the income and growth indicators used in most study on the kind.  So, it is possible that the rural Midwest may still struggle with a recession in the upcoming months while remaining more prosperous than most people think.  But what does it mean to be more prosperous than most people think?

(Click on the map to enlarge and see how your community is doing accountring to Isserman’s study. Image Source: LiveScience.com)

Measuring Wealth by “outcomes” rather than “income and growth”

Early on in our work in Miner County, Dr. Daryl Hobbs made sure that we understood that the measures of community success often highlighted in the media don’t tell the whole story.  For instance, just measuring the number of jobs created doesn’t tell the entire story about how a community is doing.  And it definitely doesn’t explain how people feel about the community. 

Dr. Isserman at the University of Illinois seems to be well aware of these factors.  On the university’s website, he is quoted saying:

“Growth and income are the conventional measures of community success,” said U of I economist and planner Andrew Isserman. “But, in talking with farm groups, elected leaders, and rural development professionals from across the country, I realized how few were happy. Some worried about growing too much, and the others fretted about growing too little.”

Instead of income and growth, the study measured community prosperity by analyzing such factors as:

I don’t pretend to be an economist or sociologist (and I didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn last night either), but I do know that this is a very different way of thinking.  It’s definitely more in line with what Daryl was telling us, and I like it.  But then I don’t measure my personal prosperity by my bank account alone either. 

While exited to see this new approach to studying communities, I can’t help but wonder if the study didn’t miss one important criterion by not analyzing health trends.  In other words, are people in the community healthy?

I’m sure some in the academia and the economic development worlds will prefer the more traditional use of income and growth to measure community prosperity.  And that’s ok.  I’m just glad to see others like me are looking at the world a little differently.

Image credit: Andrew Isserman, Edward Feser, Drake Warren, University of Illinois, via LiveScience.com

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Highlights from Hill City

October 7th, 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days with the folks in Hill City. SD during a design:SD charrette.  I say opportunity for several reasons: it is a special thing when a community invites a team in and believes they will produce something they need, and it is awesome when fifteen individually talented strangers at the start become friends lending their talents towards a common goal. 

The experience always leaves me with new impressions, ideas, and hopes.  Project Hill City was no different.  Below is an unedited, incomplete, and completely biased view of my impressions in Hill City.  I hope my mates will fill in where I’m off track. 

Preserve What’s Special

The folks in Hill City continually shared that preserving the “feel” of Hill City was top priority.   Naming what that feeling is was a bit more difficult; everything from unique character, charm, history, arts, natural beauty, and the list goes on. 

The point is, there was something special to capture about Hill City that is different than the next community, but that each community has (or should develop) that same sense.  Figuring out how to put words to it will help you make decisions regarding your community brand and design. 

Unintended Consequences

During our learning studio, we heard that some Hill City residents desired an events center: a place where people could be housed and entertained in one convenient location. 

What the design team realized is that Hill City is already an events center. Adding a separate events center  (likely to be located on the fringes of the community or out of the city limits altogether) may actually detract from the culture Hill City is trying to create.  Our recommendation is to use existing places and spaces to meet the needs of events that will be held in Hill City.

Tourists and Residents Have Different Needs

Who are you going to plan for? Understanding how residents and tourists use your community differently may help guide a comprehensive plan.  One example is of this is shared in the video below.

Matt’s point is this:  parking needs are different for residents than they are for tourists, so plan accordingly. 

Design Impacts Community

Hill City has been able to reinvent its downtown area due to the influence of the arts.  Several prominent artists house galleries in Hill City, and dozens more display their works in the galleries and shops along Main Street.  I think it is no coincidence that the community describes itself as able to work together well.  Downtown places, and the interaction that they encourage, help residents build social capital, contributing to a community’s ability to get along.  (sort of like the “third places” Mike keeps talking about)

 

 

 

These are just a few of the highlights I’ve come away from Hill City with.  All of the design:SD boards are available for viewing below.  I’d be interested in what you think!

DesignSD - Hill City Boards
View more documents from Rural Learning Center.

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Social Capital through the Front Porch

July 30th, 2009

Like I mentioned in my last post, many people see development possibilities as a good way to invest in, and grow, their towns.  So, what makes a new urbanism neighborhood so much better than your standard subdivision?  (Find out what Hercules, CA has to say here, and what Stapleton residents think here)

The American front porch was a great tool for encouraging socialization.  Families would spend nice evenings on the porch, waving to passing neighbors or offering them a glass of iced tea or lemonade and a chair to sit down in.  Before lives were more hectic and evenings were spent at karate practice, people enjoyed a quiet evening together with friends and family.  The neighborhood kids would play together on a whim, and not a scheduled play-date.

Many new home buyers remember this care-free aspect of their childhood, and want to give their children the same opportunity.  From what I have seen, many members of Gen Y see subdivisions and cul-de-sacs as idealistic and sterile places with no real character.  These subdivisions are based on the car with large garages dominating the streetscape, wide roads to accommodate those cars, and are located far from work and shopping, making the car a necessity in all daily tasks.

New urbanism neighborhoods are no longer based on the car in the garage, and instead are focused on the people in the homes.  Lots are set up “long and skinny,” encouraging homeowners to locate the garage at the back of their property, with access from the shared alley.  Roads are narrower to encourage slower traffic, which in turn encourages people to start utilizing the front yard as a safe place to play and the neighborhood a safe place to walk.  In these neighborhoods the front porch is making a comeback.

One of the great things about rural communities is that people tend to know and care about their neighbors.  When neighborhoods are built in a way that encourages connectivity, neighbors and communities start to reap the benefits.  Communities start to build social capital by connecting neighbors to one another.  And, as I have discussed before, connecting new people to others in your community is essential in keeping those newcomers in your neighborhoods and happy. 

 

Photo courtesy of Seabrook, WA, another very neat town that was created using New Urbanist principles.

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Midwest Rural Assembly: Real people talking about real issues

July 29th, 2009

Anyone who is passionate about the rural Midwest should plan on attending the Midwest Rural Assembly.  The event is being hosted in Sioux Falls on August 10-11, 2009. 

The goal of the event is to build a network of regional rural leaders committed to identifying the policy changes needed to help rural places prosper.

From the Assembly’s website we learn attendees will have an opportunity to:

I’m attending because it is an opportunity for me to be a part of the conversation about the future of rural places.  As regular readers know, we believe conversation - both in person and on-line - is key to developing a vision for the future of rural.  We don’t enter the policy debate very often because our focus is on community development practices.

If you want to learn more about the goings on of the assembly, I would invite you to check out the Midwest Rural Assembly website.  You can register on the site as well.

A schedule of events and speakers can be found here. 

And you can check out what people are saying about the Assembly on this Facebook page. 

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It takes a village

July 24th, 2009

We often hear that “it takes a village to raise a child.”  Here’s a concept map showing how various groups (called “clusters”) have an impact on the ability of a young person to move through school to a job.

The Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) of Chicago created the map to help people understand that the process of helping young people get quality jobs is more complex than just sending them to school.  The point the T/MC attempts to make on their website and blog is that each cluster needs volunteers and resources to meet the needs of young people in Chicago. I think it’s safe to say this is true in rural communities as well. 

As I reflect on the map, I can’t help but wonder if our rural communities are up to the challenge.  Are our villages strong enough to raise our children?

Note:  Thanks to Dan Bassill for making me aware of this work by posting a comment on the Smart Communities Blog. And I’d encourage readers to check out the innovative ways T/MC is using mapping software to solve problems within their community.

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New Urbanism in Rural America

July 21st, 2009

 
Many people believe that for a town to grow, it needs a new development on the edge of town.  People moving to town need a place to build, so why not?  A contractor or developer buys land on the edge of town and divides it into cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets.  The developments often eat up valuable farmland, and become a suburban island far from where people work and play.  New urbanism, or smart growth, is helping these cities and towns develop better.

New urbanism believes in land conservation, mixed use development, and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods.  These new developments are built in one of two places: infilling an existing but declining neighborhood, or on the edge of town.  Infilling prevents sprawl, saves resources by using existing infrastructure, and helps bring back life in old neighborhoods. 

When infilling is not an option, new developments using smart growth principles are modeled after older neighborhoods in the community or city and placed on the edge of town.  These lots are set up on a traditional grid pattern with narrower streets to slow traffic, with narrow and deep lots.  This promotes a safe neighborhood for children to play in, pedestrians to stroll, and others the ability to bike to work.  These developments model themselves off existing streets and neighborhoods to help connect with the town.  This helps the development create a sense of self, as well as a feeling of belonging to the city and not an attached parasite. 

New urbanism also believes in mixed use development.  Good new urbanism developments actually have a higher population density than average neighborhoods, connect residents around community plazas and playgrounds, and provide essential shopping (think groceries, hardware, florist, etc.) as well as offices within minutes.  They encourage biking and walking; they build apartments and single-family homes in the same neighborhood, and invest in community spaces.  All of these aspects contribute to a community’s social capital.

So, why do we not see more new urbanism in our communities?  I think one reason is the fact that they take more planning and effort.  I think we can all agree that a larger up-front investment is hard for any community to swallow, whether it has 500 or 100,000 residents.  But, if people start asking for these types of neighborhoods, I think they can become more commonplace and start to outnumber their suburban counterparts. 

Which would you rather live in, and why?  Is there a reason you would prefer one over the other?  This is something I want to study more and would like to hear some input.

For more information on this topic and what our neighbor to the east is doing to implement these new neighborhoods, check out the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund’s Building Better Neighborhoods website.

 

Photo Credit: Matt on Flickr

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Home renovation: Are you covered in warts?

July 8th, 2009

I love walking around Bozeman, MT.  The old neighborhoods around campus are so calming with their large old trees and well manicured houses.  There is something so inviting about those neighborhoods - they just draw you in.

When I come home to rural South Dakota, I see a lot of the same thing.  Many homes have been preserved and updated nicely.  The additions match the original style of the home and blend nearly seamlessly together.  These places make me want to park my car and stroll through the neighborhood.  They get me thinking about how I would love to live there and eventually raise a family.

But, I unfortunately see a lot of homes that are covered in warts.  Whether it is peeling paint, a sinking

a "faceless addition

porch, a “faceless addition” or one too many lean-to’s nailed to the side, these warts turn me away.  I start to wonder what else these people do not care about, since they obviously are not interested in maintaining a pleasing home and neighborhood.  I often then attach these negative perceptions to the whole community.

I feel, as a member of Gen Y and future architect, that appearance plays a large role in the perception of the character of those living in wart-covered houses.  I believe home owners can greatly diminish their warts by not spending more, but by spending smarter.  Here are a few resources I’ve found to help you start spending smarter and making your home wart-free.

I know of several additions that have been accomplished by parking a trailer next to the house and opening the doors between the two.  What kind of portrait does that paint to someone who comes into your community?  By putting more thought into additions and exteriors, we can create communities and neighborhoods that look more inviting.  Without an inviting housing market, a community can never grow.  Rural is not a place of desolation and worn out spaces.  It is a place of vibrant communities and resourceful people.  If too many homeowners do not start to understand the importance of design, not only will their homes and those around them lose value, but the community will be less inviting to those looking to move in.

These photographs portray neighborhoods or homes I would want to own or walk through.  The landscaping looks nice, the home looks cared for, and the area looks friendly.

Photo Credits:
Far upper right, Eric Allix Rogers, Flickr
Photo Strip left to right, Richard Eriksson, Matthew Rutledge, and Lukas Bergstrom, all from Flickr.

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5 Things I experienced in Gary, SD

July 7th, 2009

As I promised, here’s an update on what I experienced over the weekend at the Gary, South Dakota 3rd of July Celebration.  For a town of 250 residents, they held an amazing event.  Both the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the Watertown Public Opinion published stories.  Rather than describe the activities or the grand opening of the Buffalo Ridge Resort, I want to share “5 things I saw” in Gary while I was at the celebration. 

1. The transformation of a decaying community asset:  I’ve previously stated that I believe most rural communities have hidden assets waiting to be transformed.  And the former South Dakota School for the Blind may have been more decay than asset.  But a quick look at these before and after pictures will show what vision and hard work can do.  I hope it inspires other rural communities to look for assets they can develop.

2. A community coming together:  Gary residents have always come together to sponsor some great community celebrations.  This year, they put together an incredible set of activities for their two-day 3rd of July Celebration that coincided with the Buffalo Ridge Resort grand opening.   Not only do events like this bring money into town, but they also create a sense of community for residents and visitors alike.  (If you want to see what other events the community has planned, I’d encourage you to check out their new website.)

3. A Sense of Opportunity:  While taking some pictures Friday, I overheard one middle-aged guy say, “I want to move back, and I mean here (meaning Gary) not Watertown.”  I don’t know where the person lives or what he does for a living, but I’ll bet he wasn’t the only one to say that over the weekend.  The Buffalo Ridge Resort has undoubtedly created some employment opportunities, but hopefully it will also inspire others to dream of creating their own businesses.  (Anyone who has such dreams should contact Briana Hoffman, Deuel Area Development, Inc — briana.hoffman@rurallearningcenter.org .)

4. An entrepreneur who reinvested in his community after striking success:  Let’s be honest.  It would have been easier for Joe Kolbach to take the earnings from selling his wind energy business and move to the big city.  Instead, he chose to reinvest in the community that helped him build his company.  

5. Skepticism:  Yes, I overheard a few other people talking about how tough operating a resort facility in a town of 250 people will be.  But as Joe Kolbach said in the Argus Leader, “People can’t imagine why I’m spending the money on building this. But this is a passion for the whole community. It will work. I wouldn’t have built it if I thought otherwise.”

 

So what will the future hold? Some people will root against the Buffalo Ridge Resort because of jealousy and small-mindedness. That happens in big cities and rural communities alike.  Hopefully most people in the Gary region understand what an incredible opportunity stands in front of them.  I’m sure there are a lot of communities who would welcome such a development with open arms. 

Personally, I’d never root against anything Joe takes on.  He built a company from scratch, and has already done more with former blind school campus than most people thought possible.  Those are people who usually find a way to get the job done.  And they are the type of people we could use more of in our rural communities.

       

Note:  Be sure to check out more before and after pictures on Flickr.

Update:  Check out this post at Madville Times about the project.

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