Coming back from a natural disaster can be especially difficult for small rural towns who often lack the large amounts of financial capital to rebuild. 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 and in their plan for reconstruction used the cultural assets of their citizens in order to create a new plan to bring life back to their community.

The Agricultural Urbanism Toolkit Booklet is a resource for communities to learn about Agricultural Urbanism and the tactics used to develop local food systems.

Over time, all communities experience changes that affect the industries, technologies, and land use patterns that help form the foundation of their local economies. Economically resilient towns, cities, and regions adapt to changing conditions and even reinvent their economic bases if necessary. Even if the community has lost its original or main economic driver, it has other assets that it can use to spur the local economy. While most economic development strategies involve some effort to recruit major employers, such as manufacturers or large retailers, many successful small towns and cities complement recruitment by emphasizing their existing assets and distinctive resources.

Most discussion related to creativity and culture as new economic drivers on large urban centres. Yet, these ideas have powerful potential in smaller towns and rural areas. Municipalities large and small are turning to municipal cultural planning as a tool for building local economies through creativity, culture, and quality of place. This article examines the experience of one rural area that provides insights and inspiraion for other rural municipalities.