Posts Tagged ‘Economic Development’

Technical Assistance Reports: Northcentral MT Drinking Water Systems

These Montana Operation and Maintenance Technical Assistance Reports provide insight into 12 small, rural drinking water systems in Northcentral Montana. Within the reports are resoures and discussions surrounding challenges to rural water systems and infrastructure maintenance along with potential solutions and upkeep strategies.

Water System Reports

Storytelling – Heart and Soul

This resource provides a best practice model for generating buy-in for planning projects through community member storytelling. By emphasizing the connections that people have to place, planning leaders can encourage communities to invest in creating plans and projects for the future of that place for which they have such a connection. Read further for details and visit the website for more resources on the Heart and Soul method of community development. 

Heart and Soul Story Telling

U.S. Renewable Energy Technical Potentials: A GIS-Based Analysis

This study, conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the Department of Energy, analyzes the potential for six different renewable energy sources in the US, including Utility-Scale Photovoltaics, Wind, Solar, Biopower, Hydrothermal, and Geothermal. Researchers based their methods and analyses on renewable resource availability and quality, topographic limitations, technical system performance, environment, and land-use constraints. Method details and findings are available in the full report.  Click here for the website.  

NREL Renewable Tech Potential

Sustaining Large Landscape Conservation Partnerships

A major component of planning for conservation and land use is establishing partnerships among community leaders, private land owners, and governmental entities. This resource provides guiding principles on forming and maintaining an integral network of partners for effective land use practices and policy. Read more for step-by-step engagement processes and additional resources. 

Sustaining Large Landscape Conservation Partnerships – Strategies for Success

Small Towns big Ideas Case Studies in Small Town Community Economic Development

This resource examines the development of small town community economies by revitalizing local businesses and building on local resources. Provided are three different case studies of small towns throughout the U.S. that turned dwindling economies into well developed economic centers. Click the link to see the full story!

Small Towns Big Ideas Case Studies in Small Town Community Economic Development

Still Living without the Basics – Water/Sanitation

Over 1.7 million people within the United States are living without basic plumbing facilities. Explore this document from the Rural Community Assistance Partnership that outlines the current water and sanitation situation in the U.S. and provides implementation examples for improving access to water and sanitation services in rural areas.  

Still Living Without the Basics

Rural Networks for Wealth Creation: Impacts and Lessons Learned for US Communities

This document provides detailed guidance on how to form and maintain successful networks for strategic collaboration. The resource contains accounts of communities in different areas of the US that have formed networks of organizations to accomplish positive development and economic wealth within their rural communities. 

Rural Networks for Wealth Creation