About
Overview
Introduction to CIRD's mission, programs, and history
Impact
CIRD by the numbers, plus geography and case studies
Staff
CIRD team, partners, and collaborators
Updates
Press releases, announcements, and CIRD news
Our Work
Design Learning Cohort
Peer learning design training program for rural leaders
Local Design Workshops
Hands-on workshops to address rural design challenges
Resources
Stories
Narratives exploring CIRD's impact and value of rural design
Webinars
Inspiring, useful ideas from rural design experts
Community Resources
Toolkits, reports, and best practices for rural design projects
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Community Resources

Explore toolkits, reports, best practices and trends for rural community design.
Storytelling
Community engagement
Creative placemaking
Architecture
Public space
COVID-19 and disaster recovery
Youth and aging
Skills and education
Local identity and character
Income inequality
Governance and regulation
Economic development
Diversity
Declining population
Streetscape and transportation
Sustainability
Heritage and preservation
Growth management
Downtown revitalization
Arts and cultural development
Community Resources

How Small Towns and Cities can Use Local Assets to Rebuild their Economies

Economically resilient towns, cities, and regions adapt to changing conditions and even reinvent their economic bases if necessary. This resource features case studies from seven distinct communities and the strategies they employed to re-energize their economies.
Downtown revitalization
Economic development
Governance and regulation
Growth management
Youth and aging
Community Resources

Agricultural Urbanism Toolkit

The Agricultural Urbanism Toolkit Booklet is a resource for communities to learn about the tactics used to develop local food systems. The booklet provides an overview of 19 tactics from small to large scale implementation of local food system opportunities; these include gardening to urban farming to food hubs.
Sustainability
Public space
Community Resources

(Re)Building Downtown: A Guidebook for Revitalization

This resource is intended to help those who want to re-invigorate and strengthen neighborhood centers of economy, culture, and history through a smart growth approach to development.
Diversity
Economic development
Governance and regulation
Streetscape and transportation
Arts and cultural development
Community Resources

The Role of the Cultural Arts in Post-Disaster Recovery

Coming back from a natural disaster can be especially difficult for small rural towns, but tough times can also be an opportunity for recreating the vision of a town. This paper describes the story of Live Oak, Florida, one of CIRD’s 2013 host communities, which experienced heavy flooding in 2010
COVID-19 and disaster recovery
Economic development
Sustainability
Community Resources

Jackson Hole Public Art: Public Art and Placemaking Toolkit for Rural Communities

This guide by Jackson Hole Public Art outlines the nine steps required to set up a successful public art project.
Creative placemaking
Arts and cultural development
Governance and regulation
Public space
Community Resources

Using Arts and Culture to Advance Equity and Inclusion

This toolkit highlights successful examples of how arts and culture were utilized in multiple sectors in equity initiatives. Examples from communities both far and near provide a resource for how Dubuque could engage the community through arts and culture to make a more welcoming, inclusive community.
Diversity
Arts and cultural development
Growth management
Local identity and character
Heritage and preservation
Community Resources

Rural Placemaking: Making the Most of Creativity in Your Community

Creative placemaking offers the explicit recognition that arts and artists, when fully engaged with local stakeholders, are often a gel or a catalyst toward sustained community betterment and economic growth.
Creative placemaking
Community Resources

Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks Guide

The guide provides clear examples of how to interpret and apply design flexibility to improve bicycling and walking conditions and presents compelling photographs, visual illustrations and technical diagrams to communicate design issues and solutions in a smaller scale setting.
Streetscape and transportation
Downtown revitalization
Architecture
Youth and aging
Public space
Community Resources

CIRD Coordinator's Manual

The Coorinator's Manual was created by the Citizens' Institute on Rural Design™ to guide the coordinator of a CIRD workshop through all components of workshop preparation, but it can also be used for producing other community workshops. The manual walks the reader through planning a workshop, and includes exercises for setting goals, and creating plans for design, communications, and implementation.
Declining population
Downtown revitalization
Architecture
Governance and regulation
Growth management
Community Resources

EPA's Local Foods, Local Places Toolkit

In October of 2017, encouraged by the National consumer demand to grow and develop local food systems in both rural and urban districts in the United States, the EPA released this toolkit, which offers federal agency support aimed at community-driven planning processes.
Sustainability
Economic development
Creative placemaking
Community Resources

Native American Creative Placemaking

That "Placemaking was always known to Native Americans" undergirds a new "Native American Creative Placemaking" report from HAC. The report examines a handful of established Native American creative placemaking efforts while offering a first of its kind interactive map of Native American creative placemaking projects.
Diversity
Creative placemaking
Arts and cultural development
Community Resources

Tactical Urbanist's Guide to Materials and Design

Is your town or community interested in a short-term project to improve public space? Check out this toolkit, the Tactical Urbanists' Guide to Materials and Design from the Street Plans Collective. This resource is great if you have ideas for 1-7 day “demonstration” projects such as pop-up bike lanes, traffic safety upgrades, or flexible and visible parks projects.
Creative placemaking
Downtown revitalization
Economic development
Public space
Streetscape and transportation
Community Resources

Community Audited Public Spaces

The knowledge and experiences of community members are valuable resources for your local design projects! Learn how to identify priorities, collect community data to support your case, and create materials that advocate for your project using this guidebook by bcWORKSHOP.
Diversity
Downtown revitalization
Local identity and character
Public space
Governance and regulation
Community Resources

Activating Vacancy

Empty buildings and vacant lots are spaces of opportunity! The following guidebook by bcWORKSHOP takes you through the steps building a network of stakeholders for a community space, envisioning what that empty space could become, and making those plans happen.
Architecture
Downtown revitalization
Public space
Streetscape and transportation
Community Resources

Neighborhood Stories

The stories of local leaders and residents are what keeps the history of a community alive! Use this guide from bcWORKSHOP to learn how to capture the experiences of community residents and turn those into a testimony of your town's culture and growth.
Heritage and preservation
Local identity and character
Public space
Community Resources

Little Free Libraries / Los Libres

Build community and share a love for learning by starting a local Little Free Library in your neighborhood. Learn more about the Little Free Libraries / Los Libres program and how to get started with this guidebook by bcWORKSHOP.
Income inequality
Public space
Economic development
Skills and education
Arts and cultural development
Community Resources

Toolkits for Change

Case studies are a great source of placemaking knowledge! Springboard for the Arts learned from the programs of arts and arts organizations to compile a collection of how-to's for creative projects.
Public space
Arts and cultural development
Creative placemaking
Community Resources

Better Block Recipe Library

Sometimes all your need for community togetherness is tape and some wood! Better Block has compiled a few low-cost, high-impact "recipes" for public space activation from temporary bike lanes and parklets to a garden plaza.
Streetscape and transportation
Downtown revitalization
Growth management
Public space
Local identity and character
Community Resources

How to Do Creative Placemaking

Need an imaginative boost? This action-oriented report published by the National Endowment for the Arts provides best practices that define creative placemaking and case studies of Our Town projects to offer some fresh placemaking ideas.
Creative placemaking
Community Resources

Hotel Survival Guide: How to Reopen Profitably

Many rural economies are depending on local tourism and lodging, both of which were hard hit by the coronavirus. Small, independently-owned hotels would benefit from checking out this resource from Streetsense that offers guidance and recommendations for hotels to stay profitable as they look to reopen
COVID-19 and disaster recovery
Economic development
Community Resources

Planning for Recovery Guide

How can rural main streets and downtown businesses bounce back from something as sudden and impactful as the coronavirus? The National Main Street Center put together this guide of tips and resources for local businesses to put together their own plan for recovery.
COVID-19 and disaster recovery
Economic development
Downtown revitalization
Community Resources

Back to Brick and Mortar

Amid unprecedented change due to COVID-19, retailers must get the "Back to Brick and Mortar" protocol right as public health and their business success ultimately depend on it. Recommended for Main Street projects in rural towns.
COVID-19 and disaster recovery
Downtown revitalization
Economic development
Community Resources

State Arts Agency Resources for Creative Placemaking Practitioners

New guide for resources for creative placemaking practitioners published by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Your state arts agency offers grant funding for arts-based work including community design as well as support and resources.
Creative placemaking
Arts and cultural development
Community Resources

Creative Placemaking Resource Guide

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Creative placemaking
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The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council.

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