posted on Friday, June 15, 2007 8:51 PM
by
admin
Village Innovation Pilot
The Borderlands Project launched its Village Innovation Pilot today. The Pilot is a strategic planning initiative being offered to two Borderlands towns (one in CT, one in RI) who want to conserve critical lands by channeling new growth into existing or planned village centers. We've issued an invitation to Borderlands towns to express their interest and are looking forward to questions and ultimately responses from these towns.
The Pilot is the evolution of an idea raised at a pair of Borderlands meetings in 2005 - that the relationship between traditional village development and surrounding rural lands is an important one and can offer us lessons about how we go about achieving economic and residential development as well as land protection. Unfortunately, a lack of resources and a complex web of regulations often hinder communities' ability to explore this link.
The Pilot aspires to rise to this challenge. It aims to bring resources and expertise to two towns to help them work through these issues. With a strong bi-state Advisory Group and support from innovative organizations like the Orton Family Foundation, I think we're off to a good start. But the key to the Pilot's success will be the two Borderlands towns who ultimately serve as the Pilot communities - we intend for this to be a process driven by the towns and their citizens - we want to respond to your challenges and aspirations. We know it may seem like a very open-ended invitation - it is! You tell us what you need. And in the process we may find new ways to address community growth and conservation.
It will be experimental, it will be hard work, it will result in on the ground implementation, and it will on occasion even be fun! So, please look over the materials on the website and feel free to contact us with questions. We look forward to your input!
Ariana McBride, Economic Development Planner, RI Economic Policy Council