What's New at "A Good Community"
Here are the most recent important changes to our website, including new articles, visitor questions, and editors' answers. You'll also find links to significantly revised pages and time-sensitive or short items we want to bring to your attention. Sometimes we also add short items of interest, especially time-sensitive notes about conferences, webinars, or seasons.
Role of food pantries in community development
Visitor Question: All of the recent publicity about the important contributions that food pantries make to our communities has me wondering about whether
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Rural Code Enforcement Must Emphasize the Why
Rural code enforcement requires a strong element of persuasion about why the regulations are important. Here are some tips.
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Adding Shade Structures Enhances Both Form and Function
Shade structures are no substitute for trees, but sometimes you need artificial ways to shield pedestrians from heat. The good news is they can be pretty too.
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Understanding Outdoor Sign Types for Planning Commissioners
Planning commissioners need to understand various outdoor sign types. Here we explain and illustrate common categories.
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How to get rid of a bad planning commissioner
Visitor Question: One person on our city plan commission is just perpetually unprepared for the meeting and uninformed. She comes up with some of the stupidest
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Volunteer Appreciation in Community Organizations Takes Ingenuity
This page details some ideas for volunteer appreciation in community organizations, which may differ from recognition initiatives in other nonprofits.
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Dealing with Ugly Utility Lines in Prominent Locations
Many business districts and neighborhoods eventually focus on ugly utility lines as detracting from visual appeal. This page explores how to approach this issue.
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What does credible messenger mean for a CDC?
Visitor Question: Someone at our CDC board meeting last night kept reinforcing the need for a credible messenger. What exactly does that mean? I understand
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Why won't people come to our community development meetings?
Visitor Question: When you ask people what is best about our little suburb close to the city, often they say it's the variety of people. When poked a little
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Rural deed restriction
Visitor Question: People just bought a 4.146 acre tract rural property, and there's a deed restriction saying no mobile homes. The new owners just placed
17 Questions for Climate Change Planning
I think local climate change planning takes one of four pathways. Here we describe how your community can decide on an approach.
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Nonprofit Housing Developers and CDCs Aid Revitalization
Nonprofit housing developers, or community housing or development corporations, build or renovate housing where markets fail to meet community needs..
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Commercial Corridor Redevelopment Boosts a City's Image and Finances
Commercial corridor redevelopment along major roads and highways improves a community's image and increases the likelihood of business success.
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Rural Community Development Requires Clever Use of Resources
Rural community development focuses on increasing problem-solving capacity, a sound economic base and school system, essential businesses, and clean-up.
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Community Development Grant Narratives Must Tug at Heart, But Use Data
To strengthen your community development grant narratives, you must engage both the heart and the brain if you want to receive funding for your non-profit.
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