Workshop 2020
May 6-8, 2020
Camp McDowell.
Registration opens later this year.
Overview
Small communities of Alabama are facing a range of critical issues. In some cases, it is a loss of population from out-migration and a resulting loss of jobs. In others, it is rapid growth from suburban expansion, or the location of a new institutional or industrial facility, or an influx of retirement population. These issues affect the vitality of the community, its design and sense of place. The Your Town workshop focuses on an important aspect of community spirit and community integrity: the process of design. The workshop aims specifically to introduce small town and rural technical assistance providers and decision makers to the role of design in community planning. It important to understand that everything is connected
What to Expect
The workshop course material addresses a range of issues in rural community planning and design. The curriculum focuses on the process by which rural communities construct a vision about their future, evaluate natural and cultural assets, and implement decisions about how their community should look and function. The aim is not to promote specific answers to specific questions but, rather, a framework for problem solving. Materials are presented in a visual format, principally through slides and maps. In the workshop setting you are presented with lectures, group discussions, case-study presentations, and resources useful in developing solutions to the hypothetical Your Town issues. Then you will address the issues and develop the solutions in the small working groups.