The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) will be co-hosting three monthly capacity-building conference calls over the course of the summer. Part of the ongoing CommunityMatters conference call series, these calls are designed to help any community working on a design or planning project get the skills they need to succeed, as well as the inspiration to get started.

In 2010, a Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design workshop in Taos, New Mexico helped reinvigorate a public plaza and create a new network of pathways and sidewalks.  At an Elk Horn City, Kentucky workshop in 2011, attendees identified creative solutions to connect the community with its riverfront.  In dozens of communities across the country, similar workshops have helped rural communities use design to solve challenges like improving walkability, curbing sprawl, and attracting tourists by enhancing local heritage.