Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Developed and field-tested over a decade in partnership with more than 90 small cities and towns across America, Community Heart & Soul is a proven process for … [Read more...]
Redefining the ‘Small Town Mentality’: Matt Dunne on Burgeoning Rural Digital Economies
Recession, automation and globalization have created a divide between the economies of urban and rural places. Together these forces have led to population loss and “brain drain” as college graduates strapped with student loan debt moved to bigger towns with more job opportunities. That too becomes a catch-22 — less local talent means less opportunity for entrepreneurship and … [Read more...]
Episode 37: Rural Grocery Initiative
In 2006, Kansas State held listening sessions across the state aimed at identifying challenges facing rural communities. During these sessions, the need to support rural grocery stores rose to the top. Supporting rural grocery stores is important because they: Provide jobs and contribute to the local tax base.Act as community hubs for residents to gather and … [Read more...]
Episode 36: The Future of Rural Work
Matt Dunne is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). The Center is bringing together a network of innovation hubs across rural America through a team of experts. The organization focuses on digital economic development, rural opportunity zones, entrepreneurial investment, and broadband expansion. Dunne has an extensive background in … [Read more...]
Resilience in rural America: Three towns changing the narrative
A flawed, oversimplified narrative about rural America has taken hold. You’ve probably heard a version of it already: Rural America is poor. It’s white. It depends on factory jobs, agriculture and mining. It’s deteriorating. It needs to be saved. This depiction casts a long shadow over rural places that don’t fit the narrative, and it effectively prevents productive … [Read more...]