This report focuses on how rural communities have responded to the effects of growth. It includes a series of short snapshots of different programs that can help small communities, organized around topics such as: reserving a critical mass of farmland; creating heritage parks; guiding economic renewal; planning resort development; and strengthening forest-based economies.

Examples of some of the programs described in the report: HandMade in America's "Small Town Revitalization" program; the USDA's Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants; the McAuley Institute's support for housing for low-income women and their families.

The report should provide some good ideas and examples for smaller communities to consider when addressing growth and development concerns.

Written by Barbara Wells, a senior policy analyst with the Northeast-Midwest Institute. Published by the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

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