Advancing Inclusive Development in Rural Towns
A report on actionable strategies for organizations, policy makers, and philanthropists to help strengthen the economic opportunity, quality of life, and quality of place in rural towns. The findings are based on an in-depth, multiyear Brookings Institution and LISC engagement with three diverse, rural communities in Indiana. The findings show that Community Centered Economic Inclusion (CCEI) is adaptable to rural towns, can help them build stronger connections to regional economies, and insures new investment is directed at community-driven solutions.
Introduction
There is a clear need to advance a more inclusive economic future for rural America, which accounts for 85% of the nation’s persistently poor counties. This imperative is not simply a “rural” one. The geographic divergence that divides the country between “winner-takes-most” and “left-behind” places serves to harm the nation as a whole by concentrating productivity in too few regions while leaving large swaths struggling to meet their economic potential.
The lesser-known story is that local leaders across rural America have long been implementing bottom-up economic development strategies to “grow from within” by investing in uniquely rural assets that leverage the diverse and innovative place-based strengths of small towns across the nation.
This practitioner-oriented report highlights insights from precisely these kinds of community-centered efforts underway across small towns nationwide. It draws from an in-depth, multiyear Brookings Institution and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) engagement with three diverse rural communities in Indiana, as well as insights from rural economic and community development leaders across the country. Based on this in-depth engagement, the report offers practical guidance and recommendations for practitioners and policymakers to advance, scale, and sustain inclusive access to opportunity, quality of place, and quality of life across rural places nationwide.