Skip to main content
Start of main content

Increasing capacity and funding for rural communities

July 13, 2022

By Wendy Van Duyne and Katy Shackelford

For the National League of Cities, we explore how small cities and local governments can work alongside community leaders to reimagine rural places

Small cities and towns across the nation are fighting harder than ever to do more with less. As workforce challenges emphasize the need for talent attraction and retention, these communities often find themselves in direct competition with larger metropolitan areas, which often have more amenities, greater resources, and the ability to leverage staff time toward planning and delivering projects.

In rural areas, municipal staff often wear many hats, which means your town planner may be pulling double duty as the economic development director or tourism coordinator. Most agencies are too busy addressing urgent critical needs to have the capacity or time to coordinate strategic initiatives.

Despite these challenges, there is a renewed interest in these small cities and local governments to work alongside community leaders to reimagine our rural places.

Read the full article in the National League of Cities.

  • Wendy Van Duyne

    Wendy is a project manager and landscape architect with a focus on master planning. She’s coordinated with clients on a range of projects including campus, parks, and recreation master planning, trails development, and downtown revitalization.

    Contact Wendy
  • Katy Shackelford

    A grant specialist with expertise in transportation, economic development, and public policy, Katy works with clients across the US to find and support critical financing solutions.

    Contact Katy
End of main content
To top