A Pathway to Prosperity for Rural America
How 3 communities are building promising futures through investments in civic infrastructure
Within the diverse landscape of rural America, many towns are actively and successfully pursuing a range of economic and community development strategies to turn the tides on the economic struggles of recent decades. Civic infrastructure — the public spaces where Americans connect with one another — is critical to these efforts. Whether a community reimagines its historic main street, parks, community centers, natural assets or trails, or pursues a multifaceted strategy, investments in civic infrastructure have been shown to produce a range of positive benefits. They can create jobs, increase property values and draw tourists. They can boost quality of life and quality of place, two factors shown to be more important than many traditional economic development tools, including incentives and lower taxes, at drawing residents to a community and strengthening new and existing businesses.
A range of funding opportunities are available for rural communities looking to invest in their civic infrastructure. The Trust for Civic Life, a new philanthropic initiative focused on rural communities, supports efforts that help people build common ground and take an active role in creating their community’s future. Federal funding is available through initiatives like the Environmental Protection Agency’s Recreation for Rural Economies Program, which helps communities identify strategies to grow their outdoor recreation economy and renew their main streets, and the Rural Partners Network, an alliance of federal agencies and commissions working with rural communities on job creation, infrastructure development and community improvement. In addition, national organizations like Main Street America have brought local leaders together to learn and advocate through gatherings such as the Main Street Now conference. At this year’s conference, Connectivity through Civic Infrastructure was one of the themes, and Macon, Georgia, a Reimagining the Civic Commons city that has transformed its downtown through collaborative, democratically realized projects, received the organization’s prestigious Great American Main Street Award.
Today we feature three rural towns across the U.S. that are positioning themselves to thrive by investing in creative, locally envisioned civic infrastructure.
Skowhegan, Maine: Revitalizing a town and its regional economy
Nestled in Maine’s Kennebec River Valley, Skowhegan was once the heart of the state’s logging industry. Today the town of about 8,200 people is in the midst of a dynamic, regional revitalization.
A collaborative effort led by Main Street Skowhegan, the initiative encompasses a reimagining of the historic downtowns of Skowhegan and neighboring towns, the development of new and existing outdoor recreation and cultural assets, and a regional economic development effort that builds on the existing economy while pivoting toward emerging opportunities for the future.
Recognizing Skowhegan’s historic downtown as a center of jobs, culture and recreation, many investments have centered here. In addition to physical improvements like streetscaping and the restoration of building facades, the town is strengthening its outdoor recreation assets. A riverfront promenade is planned, along with a river park that invites residents and visitors to experience whitewater kayaking, river surfing and tubing on the Kennebec.
This emphasis on civic infrastructure extends across the region. Nearby Waterville and Fairfield are also seeing a restoration of their downtowns, and a riverwalk opened in Waterville in 2018. Cultural assets including two historic opera houses and a selection of museums, coffee shops, theaters and parks are receiving investment. Outdoor recreation is also a regional endeavor, with local trail networks, river access trails and two community ski hills being built or reimagined.
Building on the region’s rich history of farming and food production, Main Street Skowhegan is developing The Kitchen at 185, a shared-use commercial kitchen with specialized equipment that will lower the entry barrier into food production, incubator programming that will provide training and technical assistance to help emerging and established food companies scale, co-packing that will allow farmers to add value to surplus products, and workforce training, providing career pathways into the food industry. Through the above as well as through community programming in the Kitchen, producers and consumers will have access to the agricultural wealth of the region and complementing additional workforce development and entrepreneurship initiatives that support a shifting economy.
“As a nationally accredited Main Street organization, we’re thrilled to lead catalytic projects and initiatives in Skowhegan,” said Main Street Skowhegan President & CEO Kristina Cannon. “We are committed to implementing the Skowhegan Strategic Plan for Community Transformation, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with so many local, regional, state, and national partners to build resiliency and ensure Skowhegan’s brightest future.”
Funding for the regional revitalization, totaling more than $10 million over the last five years, comes from an array of sources, including the Maine Community Foundation, USDA Rural Development, the Economic Development Administration’s Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, and T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant.
Ottumwa, Iowa: A comprehensive new vision for downtown
A trade and economic center in southeast Iowa, Ottumwa has been restoring its historic downtown over the last decade to attract and retain businesses and residents. One focus in the town of about 25,000 people has been streetscape and public space activations along Main Street and neighboring streets. On these busy thoroughfares, improvements like wider sidewalks, mid-block crosswalks, permeable pavers, public art and trees are improving the safety and aesthetics of the district while supporting environmental resilience.
There is also an emphasis on helping longstanding institutions to thrive. At Canteen Lunch in the Alley, a lunch spot beloved in the town for over 95 years, a public-private creative placemaking venture added new tables, benches, lighting, vegetation and art, as well as stormwater management features like permeable pavers. These investments provide more space for patrons of the popular restaurant to eat and mingle while making the alley more inviting and resilient to storms.
The renovation of buildings downtown is contributing new housing, providing opportunities for economic development and preserving historic structures. The “Market on Main” building was renovated to serve as the Ottumwa High School Career Campus for over 400 students in career and technical education courses, strengthening the bond between the school system and the downtown community. The facades of approximately 20 historic buildings have been rehabbed, preventing demolition. And over 20 units of upper-story housing have been added to the Main Street District, serving as a model that paves the way to similar projects statewide
To finance these investments, Ottumwa is leveraging $7.2 million in HUD Community Development Block Grants, spurring additional public-private and private investments to generate a total investment of $16 million.
“CDBG funds not only provided a huge economic impact in our district. It was also the catalyst for us to create long lasting partnerships, leverage additional private investments that showed quick transformational results that sparked community pride,” said Fred Zesinger, Executive Director of Main Street Ottumwa.
Haines, Alaska: Bringing together awe-inspiring nature, natural resources and Native culture
A small town of about 2,000 people on Alaska’s panhandle, Haines is working to connect the awe-inspiring natural assets it is known for with its waterfront and downtown. Haines is one of 35 communities taking part in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program (RERC), which provides planning assistance for communities looking to grow their outdoor recreation economies and revitalize their main streets.
The mountains and waterways surrounding Haines provide ample opportunities for recreation, and they also support people’s livelihoods. Residents’ vision for their area incorporates traditional and modern uses of the land, from hiking and backcountry skiing to fishing and trapping, balancing conservation, productive uses and the protection of Indigenous places and customs. Native communities, including Klukwan and the Chilkoot Indian Association, have been deeply involved in the process, in partnership with organizations like the Haines Economic Development Corporation (HEDC).
“In the workshop, there was great participation. We had a lot of folks come out and give their candid thoughts, their hopes and their fears,” said Lizzy Dean of the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. “There’s going to be a lot of momentum to do good work here from that.”
In March, the town released a draft 10-year comprehensive plan that outlines priorities for the community. Developed through an accessible, engaging community process, the plan emphasizes walkability and infill development downtown and lays out a clear implementation plan. It also recommends the town develop an “Indigenous Places overlay,” or a policy that not only recognizes ownership of lands but also guides future development through land-use policies or by educating potential developers or partners about traditional uses.
Since releasing the draft plan earlier this year, progress has been ongoing. For instance, HEDC has hired a communication and outreach coordinator to create further partnerships and help implement plan objectives, and work on a feasibility study for public space on Main Street has been launched. At the same time, Haines, Huts and Trails, a local organization focused on inclusive outdoor opportunities, hired a community recreation manager to manage trails as well as the first public-use cabin in the Chilkat Valley. And from the public sector, the Parks and Recreation committee was re-started with borough funding of $20,000 to make RERC objectives a core purpose, while the final RERC Community Action Plan was adopted by the borough assembly.
A pathway toward resilience
As communities of all sizes look to the future, many are recognizing civic infrastructure as a multifaceted economic development strategy that provides a range of additional benefits, from health and wellbeing to climate resilience and public safety. Encompassing everything from natural assets to revitalized parks to safer downtown streetscapes, civic infrastructure is a cornerstone of a resilient community — and a critical investment for policymakers, community organizations and anyone interested in nurturing prosperous places.
Learn more about the many positive impacts of civic infrastructure for communities in this fact sheet from Percent for Place.
Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.
