Smart Communities

Harlem: At a Crossroads

In Smart Communities one of my favorite examples of a community using its assets is Harlem and the work of the Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC). It is a wonderful story of revival and investment that reinforces that assets often abound unnoticed. Under the leadership of the Reverend Calvin Butts ADC has channeled millions of dollars into Harlem. Now there are other plans for Harlem instigated by the city. According to a Time magazine article, plans are to redevelop 125th Street and according to some residents erode Harlem's culture and flavor. This a very interesting story that goes far beyond gentrification and development to preservation of culture and history at the expense of change. The question is who is right or mostly right? The story of the revitalization of downtown Asheville that I also wrote about in Smart Communities would not have been so successful if the powers that be had had their way. Citizens were actually right in opposing the plan to tear down 11 acres in downtown Asheville including the priceless art deco buildings. So how do we decide?

Today's New York Times list endangered historical and cultural sites for 2008--any in your town?

West Virginia Region wants to be Greater

Last week I spoke at the annual meeting of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation on how to go from being very good to great--the theme of this year's report and meeting. While I emphasized the Smart Communities themes, I ended with the four things that would make the Kanawha Valley greater. Here they are: 1) invest in pre-natal care and the health care of young children; 2) provided quality child care to all children; 3) keep kids in school; and 4) make sure your workforce can compete. I offered to the audience a guarantee that if they do these things the Valley will be more successful. Communities are always looking for the silver bullet. What will change things around here they ask again and again? You can take these four things to the bank. The problem is that too many communities don't have a clue on where they are on any of these things. The first step is the know the extent of the problem and then begin the process of bringing all the assets of the community to bear on the solution. That is how all communities become greater.

What to do on Monday: Check in on 8th Grade

As you will remember, getting all eighth graders ready for high school is a main thrust of the Learning to Finish campaign. Well eighth grade is about over for the year. Find out how your eighth graders fared in standardized tests. You should be able to get eighth grade reading and math scores from your school district. Judge for yourself when you see the numbers. If ninth grade is the pivotal year for success in completing high school, what do you think your eighth graders chances are for completing high school? If the answer is not good, then the community has the summer to intervene. It is very difficult to make up academic deficiencies once you get to high school without lots of help. Take a look also at this op-ed about the impact of Teach for America. This program or one like it could benefit every community.

Pew Partnership Adds New Homepage

Take a look at the new home page of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change and you will see our new web movie that describes our Thriving Communities work and you can also go directly to our latest Solutions for America newsletter. On the latter, I would call your attention to our interview with Harvard's Dr. Jack Shonkoff on what neuroscience has shown affects the development of young children. Also updates on LeadershipPlenty and Learning to Finish are included.

Small Town America Gets a Windfall

In my quest to highlight small town life, I read with great interest the story in yesterday's New York Times about Ewing, Kentucky. It seems that a county-wide tax on insurance has helped Ewing gain some much needed cash to improve their community. A town with no revenue source, Ewing will benefit from the county-imposed tax because of its incorporation some year's earlier. The town, not the county, has the right to the revenues collected from its residents. In a win-win for the town officials, they get the windfall without having to impose the tax. Talk about good fortune and living right!

So now Ewing is thinking about what to do with the extra money that could be $12,000-$18,000. One of the first thoughts is a park to rekindle the public space lost when several town businesses closed down. There are other ideas on the table. I hope they will think about how to preserve their history and their culture also. It is a town with an interesting railroad past and a real sense of place. In reading the story I am reminded of an example in Smart Communities, Almena, Wisconsin, that was in a similar situation. Almena could provide some pointers for Ewing on how to create a new future.

Women Philanthropists Pool Resources

Yesterday I spoke at Charlottesville's Women United in Philanthropy's annual luncheon. This group, like many around the country, invites women to join with other women and support causes in the community. Women have been generous for years but groups like these have wide appeal and give small and large donors an opportunity to work together. If your community does not have such a group, think about joining with others to start one.

The Women's Philanthropy group in Shreveport have been key players in efforts there on dropout prevention. The investments and personal commitment of that group has been instrumental in investing in innovative ways to keep kids in school. The following excerpt from the Community Foundation of Shreveport Bossier's annual report will give you an idea of the impact groups like this can have.:

The Women’s Philanthropy Network has made a significant impact on
Bethune Middle Academy and Laurel Street School. Its $98,700 grant
provides the extras that mean so much—books which the student can
keep, reading software, rewards for good behavior and grades, field
trips and much more—experiences that many of these students have
never had. Last year the schools’ success can be measured—better
attendance, fewer suspensions and incremental increases in reading
and math scores. These four factors—attendance, behavior,
reading and math—are the main indicators for staying in school.
We salute the 164 women who have worked so hard to create
a vision of quality education in our community!

State Programs Help People Make It

In one of the more innovative programs I have seen for a while, 20 state governments are providing low-income workers with supplements to help them get by and keep working in this economic downturn. As you have read on this blog for the last few months, communities and states have to provide for those in most need. I don't think that the tax rebate will do the job. Of particular interest to me about this story is that it is listed in the New York Times as both a national story and a business story. What does that tell us? Keeping people employed and giving them a small amount of disposable income to spend on gasoline, car repairs, and food--helps business. This is one of those times that we have got to color outside the lines if we are to ride out this economic storm. Twenty states are getting it right.

Just to see what can happen if we don't help the poorest workers, take a look at the strategy to cut poverty in half in ten years. These state programs are on the right track.

Great Rural Blog

Take a look at this blog in your spare time this week. Very well done.

What to do on Monday: Visit a Small Town Near You

This weekend branch out. Visit a small town near you and spend some money. They have hardware stores, restaurants, book stores just to name a few places to think about stopping. Also look for festivals in your area particularly in wine country. Enjoy the ride. Let us know where you go.

Small Town America: Needs Higher Education

Usually when people talk about small towns and higher education, they are talking about kids going to college or the number of college graduates in a town. While both are important, there is another link: higher education as a resource for small towns. There are people and institutions who are ready and willing to help small towns think through and plan their future. The entry points can be in almost any unit within a university or college but a good place to start looking is agriculture, extension, business, and education. Some institutions have formal outreach departments. These are points of entry to research, technical assistance, and tools to help small town leadership make new decisions. There may also be some help accessing grant monies. In Minnesota, the Small Towns Institute assists rural communities throughout the state with just these kinds of issues. Mississippi State University has already compiled a list of resources that will be helpful in a range of planning and community development activities. YourTown Alabama is a design service offered by Auburn University to small towns throughout the state. Although fee-driven it is much less than a for-profit company is likely to charge. I have written before about Auburn's Rural Studio but that is well worth another look. There are many more examples of important rural work happening at colleges and universities--this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Likewise there are state and federal government resources that provide and help identify resources for rural areas. USDA has a great resource page for grants. The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a great resource in that state that links dollars to university researchers and communities. The North Carolina Rural Center has a wonderful resource section to help on many topical areas.

As communities are thinking about what to do next, contact your local or regional university or college. There is likely someone there ready to help.