THE RURBAN FRINGE

Cultivating Free-Range Communities

Any parents out there?  Great.  Have you heard of the “free-range parenting” movement?  Similar in spirit to free-range farming, the trend bills itself as common sense parenting in uncommonly overprotective times.  That is, to raise self-reliant, confident kids, parents need to open the door to freedom from time-to-time.
Which got me thinking … do we treat our communities the [...]

Your Project and the Role of Government

All project stakeholders are not equal.
On many projects that I become involved in, almost everyone seems to think that the local government needs to be involved in a key manner. 
This can be good … fostering civic engagement, encouraging two-way communication and helping to further the actions of independent agencies, for instance.  Or this can be bad … with [...]

10 Things Elected Officials Need to Know About Economic Development

According to the National League of Cities, ”local elected officials will be more effective in leading economic development activities to the extent that they forge strong relationships with staff members who work on these issues on a daily basis.” 
Sometimes, it’s that simple.
The Role of Local Elected Officials in Economic Development, a free publication which strives to identify [...]

Small Town Makes a Statement With Signage

When a highway bypass was built around Hooper, Nebraska, residents feared the slow death of their community.  To bring folks back to the town’s core, residents and businesses of Hooper came together to remind travellers of the community’s existence.
“We kind of lost our identity now that the highway didn’t go through town,” said David Hingst, 58, [...]

5 Common Collaboration Myths

I’ve heard it said that collaboration is about a strong, shared sweet spot of mutual benefit.  And it can be … when everyone arrives on the same page.  The following are 5 common collaboration myths, debunked. 

Everyone is doing it.  The promise of collaboration is everywhere.  Community groups, agencies and organizations may all claim to be collaborating, but [...]

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