What is Rural Placemaking?

Placemaking is a collaborative engagement process that helps leaders from rural communities create quality places where people will want to live, work, visit and learn. By bringing together partners from public, private, philanthropic, community, and technology sectors, placemaking is a wrap-around approach to community and economic development that incorporates creativity, infrastructure initiatives, and vibrant public spaces.

What is the Rural America Placemaking Toolkit?

The Rural America Placemaking Toolkit is a dynamic, interactive, media-focused website that provides education, resources, activities, and tools on rural placemaking. This website will link information seekers with technical assistance providers, funders, and how-to guides on implementing placemaking in their own communities.

What is the Placemaking in Small & Rural Communities Online Conference?

This virtual conference showcased effective placemaking strategies for rural areas, introduced attendees to placemaking resources and tools, and connected them to placemaking experts and potential funders. This provided interactive engagement for rural communities via the leading digital conference app Whova.

This conference highlighted the unique opportunities and challenges that rural communities face in placemaking. Participants in this event learned from leaders in placemaking, arts and design practitioners, and teams of residents and elected officials from rural communities to shine the spotlight on successful placemaking strategies. Conference attendees participated in online breakout sessions that highlighted topics such as:

Initiating Place
Public Spaces & Gathering Places
Community Cultural Planning & Assessments
Cross-Sector Engagement