Joining Forces Regionally For Community Development

It’s called regionalism, and it might just be the answer to many of the problems rural communities across the country face.

I’m sure you’ve heard this comment: “This is a great place to live, but it’s hard to make a living here.”

Unfortunately, such comments often are true. Without joining forces, more and more small communities will find it hard to survive, much less thrive.

Larger communities typically have the advantage in such key categories as:

• Infrastructure
• Transportation
• Accessibility
• Workforce
• Technology

How do you overcome these obstacles if you live in a small community?

One way is to build regional economic development ventures.

Check out this white paper by David Kozlow. It does an excellent job of explaining how a regional approach can work to the benefit of your community.

— Dan Cowling