Communities Served

2023

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities - Appalachian Regional Commission Communities

Revive Strategies and its partner consultants were honored to serve the following Appalachian communities in 2023, as part of the RERC program, with support from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

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• Columbiana, AL.The city of Columbiana and partners discussed increased visitation to existing assets, expanding recreational amenities by connecting them with the downtown area through a walkway and bike trail, and expanding community engagement in Columbiana and surrounding communities in Shelby County, Alabama. 

• Seneca Nation and the City of Salamanca, NY. The Seneca Nation focused on how to spur the tourism market of the Nation’s waterways, the diverse talents of Native artists, and the significant cultural opportunities that abound within the Seneca Nation’s Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Oil Spring Territories and throughout the region. This initiative included improving bike and hiking trails, river and lake access, and connections to downtown Salamanca.

• Beverly, OH.The village of Beverly and partners planned to create a multi-use trail in the village to allow people to safely bike and walk, with the long-term goal of connecting the trail to the Marietta River Trail, which would link the community to other local recreational assets.  

• Buena Vista, VAThe city of Buena Vista and partners planned for improving the impact of their centerpiece local park, Glen Maury Park, as well as its campground and event venue and discussed strategies to connect these resources to downtown and to surrounding recreational assets, including the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail.

• Hartwell, GA.The city of Hartwell and partners planned to leverage the city’s access to the third largest lake in the Southeast by increasing connections between the lake and downtown and supporting agrotourism and outdoor recreation. 

• McKee, KY.The McKee Trail Town Committee and partners planned for marketing the community as a recreation hub; enhancing connectivity to the surrounding Daniel Boone National Forest and regional trails; diversifying the local economy while revitalizing downtown; and inclusively engaging the community, including youth, in the implementation process. 

• Jenkins, KY. The city of Jenkins and partners explored creating new hiking, biking, and disc golf opportunities; beautifying the downtown area to increase visitation and tourism; and expanding local anchor community assets.

• Lawrence County, OHThe Lawrence County Convention and Visitors Bureau and partners focused on improving their trail systems and boat docks to showcase the natural resources in the area, connecting to the nearby Wayne National Forest, and supporting the development of local businesses and marketing of Main Street activities. 

• Fayetteville, WV. The town of Fayetteville and partners planned for managing the increased visitation to the region that is resulting from the establishment of the New River Gorge National Park nearby, which presents an opportunity to engage in inclusive community tourism development and planning, increase local access to outdoor recreation, and cultivate a culture of wellness.

• Clearfork Valley, TN. The Woodland Community Land Trust and partners brought stakeholders together to plan to diversify the recreation economy in an area that holds great potential for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and rail trails, while also cleaning up abandoned mines and brownfield sites for reuse.

• Buchanan, VA. The town of Buchanan and partners planned for enhanced pedestrian and bike connectivity to residential neighborhoods, the Appalachian Trail, the Upper James River Blueway, and the U.S. Bicentennial Bicycle Route; making improvements to Main Street; supporting small businesses in the outdoor recreation sector; and connecting the town to the river, mountains, and nearby trails in the region.

2022

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities 

• Coshocton, OH. The city of Coshocton and partners focused on boosting river-based activities, building on recreational resources such as a large aquatic center with campgrounds, developing additional multi-use trails, and connecting these activities to downtown Coshocton.

• Yreka, CA. The Siskiyou Economic Development Council and partners worked together to grow Yreka’s downtown amenities, enhance physical connections to access outdoor recreation, inspire community pride and identity in the city’s natural, recreational, cultural, and historic assets, and invest in businesses and entrepreneurs that support the outdoor recreation sector. This project will support alternative transportation infrastructure and downtown improvements to improve accessibility and public health.

• St Regis Mohawk Tribe, Akwesasne, NY. The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and partners brought the Tribal community together to build on the Tribe's cultural tourism, economic development, and infrastructure strategies. Some of those developments include a new heritage center, an art gallery, and the creation of green park spaces along the St. Regis River located in downtown Akwesasne.

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2021

Local Foods, Local Places 2021

• Culebra, PR - On the island of Culebra, the group Mujeres de Islas is collaborating with the local municipality and businesses to address food insecurity and build a more sovereign and sustainable local food system for residents. The group is interested in developing an island-wide organic composting initiative coupled with an urban vegetable and fruit gardening initiative and will also coordinate with ongoing revitalization efforts in downtown Culebra.

• East St. Louis, IL - The University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Science; University of Illinois Extension; Jackie Joyner-Kersee (JJK) Foundation; and Danforth Plant Science Center are partnering to design a program in East St. Louis to encourage youth to become leaders in the food system. The proposed JJK Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center will include a demonstration farm, commercial test kitchen, and multiple instruction spaces. The Innovation Center will help improve access to local foods in East St. Louis and the surrounding areas. 

• Fort Collins, CO - The Family Center/La Familia multicultural family resource center seeks to engage Latinx residents in the predominantly low-income immigrant corridor of Ft. Collins to create more options for upward economic mobility, celebrate existing local cultural culinary talents, and support a more comprehensive and resilient local food system.

• Jefferson City, MO - Building Community Bridges is working with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension and local partners to improve food security, human nutrition and the local economy in Jefferson City’s Southside neighborhood. Together, they will expand local stakeholder engagement to facilitate community input, set local food system goals, and mobilize resources to evaluate success.

• Unincorporated King County - Skyway, WA - Residents of the Skyway Neighborhood are partnering with King County officials to implement the new Urban Food Systems Pact. The LFLP project will advance key components of the pact, including the development of a community-led local food strategy that will use vacant lands for a farmers market supporting Black, indigenous and people of color; establish community gardens; promote a Hunger-to-Health community food education initiative; coordinate among several food pantries; create an Edible School Yard project and improve food waste recycling.  This initiative will be hosted by the Skyway Resource Center, a HUD Envision Center.

• Las Vegas, NV - The city of Las Vegas seeks to create the Historic Westside Urban Agriculture Park, which includes vertical farming, a food distribution hub, an education center, an outdoor community area, and a retail food co-op. The city is working to reopen the closed James Gay Park as an anchor for the revitalization of a historic Black neighborhood and Jackson Avenue, the neighborhood’s former main street and commercial hub. The reimagined park and neighborhood revitalization will provide affordable housing, healthy food choices, job creation, and space for community events and engagement.

• New Bedford, MA - In New Bedford, the Marion Institute’s Southcoast Food Policy Council and local partners, Old Bedford Village and Coastal Foodshed, are focusing on the “south central Bedford Village” neighborhood to improve health outcomes by identifying vacant spaces and brownfield sites to develop urban gardens. They also hope to create a fixed or mobile farmers market stand and increase participation in school gardens during the summer to improve local food access.

• Sacramento, CA - The city of Sacramento will use Food-Anchored Resiliency Hubs in disadvantaged neighborhoods to grow, prepare and sell locally-sourced food to residents; improve climate change resiliency and sustainability practices in materials and operations; and create new training, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities. The project will focus on three key sites: the International Garden of Many Colors with partner Sacramento Food Policy Council; the former City Tree Nursery with partner Planting Justice; and the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Hub with partner Alchemist CDC. 

• Tulsa, OK - The Restoration Collective, Inc., a community-based nonprofit organization, is coordinating with the city of Tulsa as it seeks to revitalize the 36th Street North Corridor. The Housing Authority of the City of Tulsa is implementing the Envision Comanche plan to improve residents’ access to healthy foods, plan for an urban farm, and explore the potential to partner with non-profit community groups to develop opportunities for a micro-grocery, a farm stand, and a food processing kitchen.

• Wyandotte, OK - Wyandotte Nation will implement a community-led self-assessment in Wyandotte, a rural tribal community lacking a grocery store, to document key local food and revitalization issues and identify opportunities for action. The self-assessment will also help refine local food system goals, which include the creation of a new community farmers market, community gardens, and supply-chain improvements benefiting local restaurants and buyers. The tribe wishes ultimately to reconnect the Wyandotte people to the land and its food through food sovereignty.

 

2020

Building Blocks 2019-2020 Reinvestment

• Tucson, AZ (Virtual) - The consultant team created a customized workshop series to help the City of Tucson departments and stakeholders explore the concept of Equitable Mobility Oriented Development (EMOD).

 

Local Foods, Local Places 2020

• Cottage Grove, OR (Virtual) - The city of Cottage Grove, a historic timber and mining town, wants to better connect and coalesce several food and placemaking efforts including downtown revitalization, complete streets, food hub support for the local immigrant community, and restoration of a former armory into a community center and commercial kitchen.

• Johnstown, PA (Virtual) - As part of the development of both local food and green infrastructure strategies in Johnstown, Vision Together 2025 seeks to improve the post-steel manufacturing economy of the city by repurposing the historic downtown train station into a healthy food and transit hub that includes a farmers market and culinary institute, initiating an urban agriculture pilot on a vacant downtown lot, and proceeding with an “Iron-to-Arts” corridor trail system and complete streets plan to better connect downtown assets

• Lake Charles, LA (Virtual) - The SWLA Center for Health Services in Lake Charles is launching a community food policy workgroup to build out a vision for the local food system to include community gardens, outreach to schools, pocket gardens, and education on the value of planting fruit trees, especially on unused land in blighted neighborhoods.

• Redding, CA (Virtual) - In Redding, Healthy Shasta plans to strengthen the local food system to support a more vibrant, walkable downtown and ensure downtown residents can get affordable, fresh, and healthy food

• Vicksburg, MS (Virtual) - Shape Up Mississippi in Vicksburg wants to create an educational and economical food hub combining a farmers market, community garden, demonstration kitchen, educational center, and the Catfish Row Museum that explains the local culture and its relationship to the Mississippi River.

 

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities 1 - 2019-2020

• Cambridge, NY (Virtual) - Cambridge, New York, made the new Cambridge Community Forest safely accessible to residents and visitors; connected it with other green spaces, recreational and cultural amenities, and businesses; and promoted smart downtown development.

• Giles County, VA (Virtual) - Giles County, Virginia, worked with the USDA Forest Service to manage and use Cascades Falls and other natural assets to attract residents and visitors to downtown Pembroke, Narrows, and other communities in the county.

• Glenwood Springs, CO (Virtual) -Glenwood Springs, Colorado, promoted a whole-community discussion about Hanging Lake, a popular nearby National Natural Landmark, including how to better integrate shuttle service into the historic downtown, and housing affordability needs.

  • Following the community workshop and planning process, the community secured grants from the state of Colorado and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable to engage and expand opportunities for all residents, including the growing Latinx community, to access outdoor recreation assets in and around the city. Glenwood Springs has also been working to increase affordable housing, ensure the sustainable management of popular outdoor recreation amenities, and recover from the impacts of the COVID pandemic and a wildfire.​

• Grants, NM (Virtual) - Grants, New Mexico, worked to increase the number of residents and visitors enjoying its forests and natural lands, build new trail connections, boost downtown amenities, and increase recreation-related economic opportunities.

• Jasper, AL  (In-person) - Jasper, Alabama, connected Main Street to nearby lakes and waterways, made it easier for people to walk and bike to and from downtown, and became a trail town for the Bankhead National Forest.

  • Since the workshop, Jasper has been working to integrate its Main Street revitalization efforts with its outdoor recreation assets, including Walker County Lake, a series of water trails, and the nearby Bankhead National Forest. Jasper has been expanding access to recreation assets to improve residents’ health and is becoming a trail town with a vibrant Main Street and connected natural amenities that draw more visitors to the community.​

• Poultney, VT - Poultney, Vermont, spotlighted its recreation assets, encouraged more residents and visitors to participate in recreation, connected nearby hiking-biking trails to downtown, and worked to attract new recreation-economy investors.

  • Poultney lost a major employer and community anchor when Green Mountain College closed its doors in 2019. Poultney is currently building back even better by exploring how outdoor recreation can help diversify the economy and strengthen Main Street businesses. Poultney is taking advantage of the nearby natural beauty and recreational resources, including a growing network of trails, to involve residents in outdoor recreation and to draw new visitors to the community.​

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2019

Building Blocks 2019-2020 Strategies for Neighborhood Reinvestment

• Kellogg, ID 

 

Local Foods, Local Places 2019

• Aliquippa, PA - The City of Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation is working to improve fresh food access for downtown residents and spur additional investment in the community. 

• Charlottesville, VA - The Charlottesville Food Justice Network and the city of Charlottesville, in partnership with young people, residents, and local urban and rural farmers, are working to develop an integrated plan to advance food equity through affordable food markets and urban agriculture in low-income neighborhoods slated for future development. 

• Duluth, MN - Ecolibrium3 in Duluth is working to expand community garden spaces to vacant lots, establish a commercial kitchen for neighborhood residents, and create a year-round, indoor food vendor to further neighborhood revitalization, improve food access, and increase economic activity.

• Fort Pierce, FL - The city of Fort Pierce wants to create new opportunities for residents of the historic Lincoln Park neighborhood to access local, healthy food; exercise; and understand the importance of protecting the water quality of Moore's Creek. 

• Frankfort, KY - The city of Frankfort is seeking assistance to determine the best location for its farmers market and to assess the feasibility of creating a commercial kitchen to increase downtown foot traffic and spur revitalization. 

• Indianapolis, IN - In Indianapolis, Near East Area Renewal wants to increase access to affordable, healthy food while accelerating economic growth and neighborhood revitalization and putting former industrial spaces to use. 

• Malone, NY - The Malone Chamber of Commerce will plan for a new downtown farmers market to increase foot traffic, offer a source of fresh food for residents, and provide a new retail outlet for area farmers. 

• Pulaski, VA - The town of Pulaski wants to explore how various food access and healthy living programs can contribute to ongoing downtown revitalization, including adaptive reuse of former industrial and manufacturing spaces.  

• Russellville, AR - The city of Russellville wants to create a culinary incubator in a former fire station in the Main Street district to support entrepreneurs and revitalize downtown. 

 

2018

Local Foods, Local Places 2018

• Anchorage, AK - The Alaska Food Policy Council furthered a plan to create a highly visible, working urban farm in Anchorage, Alaska, that serves as a site for food production, a job training center, a sustainable farming innovation and demonstration hub, and a community center. The project will help address real and perceived contamination on the site from a former leaking underground storage tank and nearby former dry cleaners identified by the city as a candidate for brownfield cleanup funds.

• Biddeford, ME - Engine, a nonprofit organization in Biddeford, Maine, planned for the redevelopment of a vacant Main Street building, made possible through a brownfields cleanup grant, to support the revitalization of the historic Main Street and Mill District. The action plan includes strategies to improve access to healthy, fresh food and strengthen community engagement with events and initiatives that connect food and place downtown.

• Duck Hill, MS -  Working with the town of Duck Hill, Mississippi, and the Achieving Sustainability through Education and Economic Development Solutions Partnership, Action Communication and Education Reform created a plan to use green infrastructure to address longstanding stormwater and flooding problems, improve the condition of buildings and infrastructure, encourage healthy eating and living, and engage and empower the community.

• Farmington, NM - In Farmington, New Mexico, the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the city and community partners, coordinated efforts to expand local food production, improve food access, and revitalize the historic downtown. Supporting local food enterprises will help the city reconnect with its historic roots as a farming community while expanding access to jobs and business opportunities, increasing diversified local food options, and protecting natural resources.

• Helena, AR - In Helena, Arkansas, the Helena-West Helena/Philips County Port Authority began planning for a potential farmers market and events space in a long-abandoned building near downtown. Underground storage tanks have been removed from the property, and the Port Authority (the local economic development entity) has acquired the site and begun cleaning up contamination from its past use as a school bus repair facility.

• Union Heights, North Charleston, SC - The Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities in North Charleston, South Carolina, planned how to redevelop a former brownfield into a park with walking and biking trails and an open-air market that will create economic opportunities for farmers and businesses.

 

2017

Building Blocks - Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas

• Acadia, LA

• Pine Ridge, SD (Lakota Nation)

• Questa, NM

 

Local Foods, Local Places 2017

• Alamosa, CO - The Local Foods Coalition in Alamosa, Colorado, sought to better connect the downtown with a nearby weekly farmers market and create cultural and local food events to draw people to the area.

• South Cumminsville, Cincinnati, OH - Working in Neighborhoods, a nonprofit in Cincinnati, Ohio,  convened community partners, city staff, residents, and other stakeholders in the South Cumminsville neighborhood to improve access to fresh foods, create jobs in new food enterprises, redevelop underused brownfields in industrial areas, and improve local transportation options.

• Jamestown, NY - The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation in Jamestown, New York, created a plan to upgrade a city park with a new community garden, orchard, and mobile farmers market stop to help revitalize the neighborhood and increase access to low-cost, fresh food.

• Lapwai, ID (Nez Perce Nation) - The Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai, Idaho, received technical assistance to use its traditional food culture as a tool for community revitalization and reconnecting youth with elders through innovative intergenerational programs.

• Martinsville, Va - Martinsville, Virginia, received technical assistance to revitalize the Fayette neighborhood using local food enterprises in a beloved landmark building that has sat abandoned for years. The resulting action plan for a “Healthy Hub” in the building and surrounding property would combine uses such as a restaurant, a community kitchen to support food-related businesses, and community gardens while creating a walkable and safe neighborhood.

• McComb, OH - The McComb Economic Development Organization in  McComb, Ohio,  received technical assistance to support economic recovery in the downtown, building on the momentum from a recently completed grant that identified community values and increased participation in local decision-making. One possible project is a new farmers market that could dovetail with downtown redevelopment.

• Rainelle, WV - The Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation in Rainelle, West Virginia, will receive technical assistance to strengthen existing farmers markets and other venues for local producers to sell their produce, grow the local food economy and support entrepreneurs, and revitalize downtown Rainelle after severe floods devastated the town in the summer of 2016. 

• Tallulah, LA - The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Tallulah, Louisiana, received assistance to help connect ongoing community efforts around physical fitness, access to healthy food, and downtown revitalization.

• Whitesville, WV - The WV Community Development Hub in Whitesville, West Virginia, created a plan to increase food, hospitality, and tourism-related economic development opportunities while improving infrastructure and walkability to position the community for new economic growth following the decline of the coal industry.

 

2016

Building Blocks - Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas

• Blackstone, VA

 

Building Blocks Equitable Development

• Helena, MT

 

Green and Complete Streets

• Cochiti Pueblo, NM (Tribe)

 

Local Foods, Local Places 2016

• Christiansburg, VA - Christiansburg, Virginia, received technical assistance to redesign the location for the city’s downtown farmers market to create a permanent space for the market and community gatherings throughout the year. The assistance also explored ways to brand and market the farmers market and downtown Christiansburg amenities to draw tourists and serve residents.

• Gloucester, MA - Gloucester, Massachusetts, developed an action plan to boost economic opportunities for local fishermen, farmers, artists, and businesses while increasing the food security of low-income families downtown.

• High Point, NC - High Point, North Carolina, focused its action plan on enhancing the central library’s services to the community, especially its weekly farmers market and nutrition education. The library is renovating its outdoor space to better house the farmers market, expand its community garden, and improve its educational programs for children.

• Keeseville, NY - The Adirondack North County Association and community partners in Keeseville, New York, came together to connect downtown revitalization efforts with local food and agritourism.

• Mission, SD (Rosebud Sicangu Nation) - Rosebud Economic Development Corporation of the Sioux Tribe in Mission, South Dakota, brought partners together to develop an action plan for promoting tribal food sovereignty and the traditional Lakota diet. The partners are also planning amenities to engage tribal members at a new development site including nature trails, a network supporting new farmers and ranchers, and youth programs and facilities. 

 

2015

Building Blocks - Sustainable Strategies for Small Cities and Rural Areas

• Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior, WI (Tribal Nation)

 

Local Foods, Local Places 2015

• Canton, NY - Canton, New York, brought together a group of stakeholders to explore how to build a robust, equitable, and environmentally-sound local food system that can help downtown revitalization efforts.

• Clarksdale, MS - Griot Arts Inc., a local non-profit organization in Clarksdale, Mississippi, received technical assistance to develop a vegetable farming-based job training program and a series of community gardens that will supply food for a new farmers market and a café. The community gardens will be placed throughout Clarksdale’s neighborhoods, ensuring they are accessible to all community members. 

• Fallon, NV - The Churchill Economic Development Authority in Fallon, Nevada, organized stakeholders to start a community-owned grocery store in an abandoned building downtown. The community also used technical assistance to strategize ways to link its new grocery store with local food-oriented programs and activities.

• Hazard, KY - With their new action plan, community partners in Hazard, Kentucky, are developing a non-profit organization to launch community-identified local food system projects. One of these projects is creating the North Fork Market, a local food retail store. Other projects laid out in the plan focus on farmer recruitment and development to increase the supply of local food. In the long run, the community hopes to leverage the success of these projects to transform the North Fork Market into a regional food hub.

• Jefferson City, MO - In its action plan, Jefferson City, Missouri, focused on creating a farmers market and new local food restaurants downtown. The community also explored strategies for revitalizing its downtown into a vibrant, livable neighborhood capable of supporting local farmers and businesses.

• Lafayette, LA - Community groups in Lafayette, Louisiana, came together to launch the Acadiana Food Alliance. With its new action plan, the Alliance plans initiatives focusing on educating the public on local farmers, local foods, and locations to buy or dine; developing food literacy programs and beginner farm internships in schools; and providing for a more efficient local food system.

• Loyal, WI - Loyal, Wisconsin, focused its action plan on strengthening the Loyal Farmers Market by increasing vendor support, coordination, and training; improving market promotion; and identifying a new site that could attract more vendors and customers while helping to revitalize downtown.

• New Orleans, LA - The Friends of Lafitte Corridor in New Orleans, Louisiana, developed an action plan to create community gardens and a permanent farmers market structure where farmers and gardeners growing food along the Lafitte Greenway can sell their harvest several times a week.

• Osceola, AR - Osceola, Arkansas, the University of Arkansas, and the local school district used their new action plan to coordinate and enhance healthy foods education, including development of a new healthy foods cooking curriculum in the school district. The community is also creating a farmers market in the downtown, where it is working on infrastructure improvements, cleanup efforts, and establishing policies to attract investment in the area. 

• Tuskegee, AL - Community leaders and city officials in Tuskegee, Alabama, came together to create “Made in Macon,” a vision for the community’s food network. With its new action plan, the community will establish an organization to carry out the Made in Macon vision. A major part of this vision includes working with the Macon County Food Pantry to grow the facility into a sustainable local food hub with education and entrepreneurial training opportunities for the community. Another aspect of the plan focuses on upgrading local streets and paths to improve and expand the transportation options available for accessing local foods.

• Williamson, WV - Williamson, West Virginia, will finish its Health Innovation Hub to support local entrepreneurs and create a community kitchen. Key farmers in the community hope to create demonstration sites to share methods of reclaiming coal mines into viable farmland. In addition to these demonstration sites, the community hopes to develop a food production site on reclaimed land to re-establish the soil for viable use as farmland. 

 

2014

Small Town Appalachian Revitalization

• Forest City, NC

• Huntington, WV

• New Albany, MS

• North Wilkesboro, NC

2013

Small Town Appalachian Revitalization

• Aberdeen, MS

• Anniston, AL

• Corbin, KY

 

2012

Small Town Appalachian Revitalization

• Brownsville, PA

• Independence, VA

• Salamanca, NY (Seneca Nation)

• Williamson, WV

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