Author: Jonathan Barton
Planning Unit: Community & Economic Development (CEDIK)
Major Program: Community Strategic Planning
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series Supports Communities During COVID-19 Restrictions.
CEDIK’s Appalachian Regional Commission funded POWER project titled ‘Revitalize, Redevelop and Reinvest (R3) Appalachia’ to support community teams focused on downtown revitalization, planning and investment had to adapt during the time of restricted travel and public health concerns related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In response a series of online webinars were developed in lieu of in person meetings to provide safe access to content while creating a forum for discussion about relevant downtown revitalization topics.
The Downtown Revitalization Webinar series allowed for community stakeholders to be highlighted and provided a platform to share not only their successes but provide insights on how they achieved their results. Webinars provided resources on the following topics – Vacant Buildings, Historic Districts, The Kentucky Brownfields Program, Intercept Survey Development and Use, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure as well as Community Strategic Planning.
Vacant Buildings: Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series - Episode One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg1GxOtRYNs&t=477s
National Historic Register & Tax Credits: Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series - Episode Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZAxHLMYwY&t=46s
Kentucky Brownfields Program: CEDIK Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series - Episode Three https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07ZHJ9iPUZw&t=589s
Intercept Survey Development and Use: CEDIK Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series - Episode Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9V-6naZwyo&t=618s
Electric Vehicles & Charging Infrastructure - Downtown Revitalization Webinar Series - Episode 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBsV0Z9V9aI&t=3s
Introduction to CEDIK's Community Planning services. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ij5wHY9Sec&t=6s
These resources have continued to be shared and viewed by stakeholders and other community development professionals focused on rural downtown revitalization. The series has provided a number of communities with resources to begin approaching these topics in their own communities. Perhaps most importantly has been the focus on rural communities because many rural stakeholders find urban efforts to be less obtainable. This series has provided inspiration to viewers that if these rural communities can do it so can we.
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