The Iowa Community Betterment (ICB) program provides support to communities attempting to maximize their own resources and create development. In two ICB projects, Edgewood citizens developed badly needed affordable housing and built a golf course, and Greene residents boosted tourism by building a paddlewheel riverboat and supporting local…

Suggests strategies for reviving small rural communities. Discusses community development meetings, developing effective leadership, and involving youth and women. Discusses importance of development programs, effective media, good educational systems, and other community institutions. Emphasizes important role of local youth programs, schools,…

Describes a project to define the images of Telluride (Colorado) held by its residents and tourists and contributing to sense of place. Discusses the design of the town's entry points and efforts to maintain their visual environments in harmony with the town's defined character during ongoing community development. (SV)

Provides advice and guidelines for running a successful community newspaper. Sixteen criteria of a good local paper include reporting on all civic activities, keeping tabs on where tax dollars go, getting out to listen to community members, encouraging community dialogue, celebrating achievements, explaining the meaning of local happenings,…

Describes Cheney's successful use of volunteers in parks and recreation programs. They raised funds, worked for park maintenance and improvement, and organized sports programs and special events. Reports survey results from Washington communities on voluntary efforts of fraternal and social organizations, businesses, and senior and youth groups.…

In 1989, gambling was legalized in Deadwood. The resulting boom produced unexpectedly high revenues, allowing the town to meet historic restoration and preservation goals within 10 years. However, in the absence of community planning, the boom also changed the community's social fabric and increased noise, traffic, and congestion. (SV)

Describes what goes on in teenage hangouts and why hangouts are important in providing a social meeting place for teenagers. Discusses physical features that make hangouts attractive, how small communities can effectively manage teenage hangouts, and how teenage hangouts encourage social development including developing a sense of community. (LP)

Describes attitudes and strategies used by two small rural towns to foster economic development and improve local housing, schools, professional facilities, and recreational programs for youth and adults. Emphasizes individual leadership qualities useful in creating a vision for community survival, communicating the vision through town meetings,…

In Manteo, North Carolina, community involvement in planning and design phases of community revitalization led to recognition of the town's "sacred structure"--highly valued places essential to social processes, lifestyle, and sense of place. Identification and preservation of these places allowed community development without negative…

Examines the scope of volunteer efforts in Coldwater, Ohio, a small rural community of approximately 4,400 people. Describes how diverse volunteer organizations developed to address community needs and their impact on community improvement, local activities, and area schools. (LP)

Examines how rapid economic development and population growth affect the visual environment in small towns and rural areas. Describes how agencies concerned with the impact of Fort Drum's expansion. Discusses the process of educating local community planners and the public, and a design framework for regulating land use development. (SV)

A plan adopted in 1992 by Findlay Township in rural Pennsylvania protects undeveloped land from urbanization and expanded and improved the township's park and recreational system. Improvements included a fitness trail, a pavilion, a handicap-accessible jungle gym, tennis and volleyball courts, restrooms, and flower beds and trees. (LP)

Case study of redevelopment of the village of Farnumville in Grafton, Massachusetts, illustrates the potential of historic preservation and heritage tourism as a tool for economic development. Describes the mill village cultural landscape and the importance of citizen and business participation to the process. Presents building and streetscape…

Describes four successful community programs dealing with waste management issues, developed with assistance from Keep America Beautiful System: litter prevention (Beatrice, Nebraska); composting yard waste (Centralia, Illinois); recycling (Lake Jackson, Texas); and waste-to-energy incineration (Gastonia, North Carolina). Notes related education…

In Danville, Kentucky, the community cooperated in converting a neglected stream into a walking trail and park network, resulting in increased community pride, environmental awareness, community revitalization, and public-private cooperation. The local middle school regularly tests the water, and the local college's annual clean-up party earned an…