Prairie Renaissance: The Next Era in North Dakota's Development
When our ancestors settled
North Dakota, they carried a vision of what they wanted to create: comfortable
homes for their families and cities where they could sell their commodities,
buy what they needed and have access to good schools and medical care.
Today, we all want the same thing for our families. However, this positive
vision has clouded as some of us watch our towns wither away.
Some hope exists. A Prairie
Renaissance is happening across North Dakota. Some cities have found
a way to create a new beginning. They've learned from the past, from
their mistakes, from the things that have worked for other cities and
have forged their own path.
In our program Prairie Renaissance,
we brought you the stories of North Dakota communities that have learned
some things that might work other places. Here's some of what they shared:
Create a positive vision
for your community free from the weight of current problems.
Take a hard, honest look
at your community's strengths and weaknesses. Then, find answers
that are right for your town. You can't just try on another community's
solutions and expect a perfect fit. Many consultants can help you work
through a tailored strategic plan.
Look at all your community's
resources, including schools, parks, streets and recreation facilities.
Today's economic development isn't just trying to find new businesses
its making your community a better place to live so you can keep current
residents and attract others. It's called "Sustainable Development."
Reach out to other communities,
your entire county or maybe a neighboring county to forge a broader
sense of community. Simply put, because of all the competition from
other parts of the country, you may need more people working together
and more money to make a difference.
Understand changing economics.
In the future more goods will be traded internationally, in a finished
form, and may be going west and south instead of to points east. Successful
communities work at prospering in a global economy. The resources exist
to help you get ready for that.
Ask for help. Volunteers
are a wonder and a great asset to their communities. However, as the
face of North Dakota changes, we ask fewer and fewer people to carry
the load in our communities. It takes courage to admit that we can't
ask volunteers to do it all. Besides, volunteers can only do so much.
Someone needs to carry out the day-to-day details of economic development.
Communities and counties must consider hiring full-time or part-time
help to work on broad-based community improvement and economic development
projects. But, no one person can work miracles. The community must still
be deeply involved but somebody's got to make the phone calls and fill
out the paperwork
Think of your community as
a tractor engine. All the parts must work together in order for the
engine to efficiently propel the tractor forward. If one part is broken,
the tractor loses power and eventually dies. Keep the engine tuned and
the crop gets harvested.
Funding
for Prairie Renaissance is provided by a grant from USDA Rural Development
and by the Members of Prairie Public Television.
