1 of 16

Rural Revitalization��Prosperity and Quality of Life

Rural Resilient Hub

A Project of Transition Centre

www.transitioncentre.org

Transition Centre/Rural Resilient Hub

2 of 16

The Problem: American Decline

Can we do anything about this?

The answer is Yes.

But it takes a new approach.

3 of 16

Our Vision:��Self-reliant and sustainable local economies and strong communities with high quality of life– places where our children will want to stay and make their home.

Our Mission:

Revitalization of distressed communities across the country. RRH provides an integral framework for developing local strategies, workforce development, business enterprises, education and governance.

About Transition Centre/Rural Resilient Hub

4 of 16

Can the US and state governments solve this problem?

Public programs are challenged with problems of this scale.

What progress have they made?

Is there enough money in public coffers to meet the need?

Can we hope that endless deficit spending will save the day?

Can we cope with the regulations that public programs mandate?

Do we need something else?

5 of 16

The RRH Alternative

Rebuild your own community.

Distressed communities are not lacking in awareness or human capital, but it requires a catalyst to spark the change.

It will not be an easy job.

It will require a can-do attitude

It has to be a local initiative

Drawing on the human and material resources of each community.

6 of 16

Home Town�

The RRH approach is about resiliency: the capacity not just to fix what goes wrong but to innovate and thrive given the inevitable challenges of the coming decades.

The RRH approach is localized because your town is your home.

It is more than an address on your driver’s license.

It is people and place -- a community.

A town has the scale you can get your mind around and where it is possible to change things; to create a safe, secure and vibrant community.

7 of 16

RRH Business Approach�

The RRH approach is grassroots.

The RRH method is integral:

It embraces all parts of the community: government, business, education, faith and citizens.
It provides a systematic foundation for revitalizing the community, economy and quality of life
It creates the capacity to constantly innovate and adapt to the challenges of this century

The TC-RRH objective is to form a hub to share principles and best practices for revitalizing rural American and to mobilize a network of local communities each with the resources they need to assist neighboring regions

The TC/RRH is social enterprise

8 of 16

Rural Decline�

Over half of the counties in the US, most of them rural, are economically distressed, left behind by the national and global economies. This has resulted in loss of jobs and population, decreasing incomes, shuttered storefronts, vacant residential lots, aging population, reduction in public revenues, rising crime, and reduced health and longevity. It has become a daunting and persistent problem.

Small towns and surrounding farming country were once the foundation of American life and values. They were settled by pioneering people. That same pioneering attitude is needed now to restore them. And yes, given the resolve, they can be restored to prosperity and livability.

This decline of rural America, and many inner cities for that matter, has been going on for decades. Youth were attracted to the cities by the promise of jobs. Shopping malls consumed the local economy. Closure of industries marked the turning point to steady decline. Unfortunately, the rising economic tide of the post-2008 Great Recession decade did not raise all boats.

9 of 16

The problem of rural decline is endemic. It is in large part a decline in the economy, but it is also a problem of decline in communities and their institutions. Revitalization is a community-focused endeavor.
There was a significant decline in the well-being of rural communities between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. This is a long-standing trend going back to globalization of the economy, at least back to the 1980s, when, as jobs moved offshore, factories went to rust and ruin. Such communities have been labelled forgotten, distressed and shrinking -- all three terms are iconic of continuing decline.
The recovery following the Great Recession of 2008 “failed to benefit the country’s most vulnerable communities.” Even in more prosperous communities, there is a wide range of income disparity. Overall real wages declined between 2000 and 2020 across the board. Then the COVID pandemic further aggravated the problem and supply chain issues and inflation added to the burden.

Left Behind

10 of 16

There is clearly a problem of institutional decay in distressed communities within government, education, faith, family and communal association in general.

There was a loss of talent as the best and brightest left town.

Reduction in revenues depleted local government budgets. An aging leadership remains to cope

Health and longevity declined. Violent crime, substance abuse and suicide rates increased. Racial tension and persistent poverty became drivers of conflict.

A loss of norms and values that define a community occurs.

These conditions have driven political conflict at state and national and local levels.

It is thus not merely an economic problem, not merely a matter of rebuilding downtowns and attracting businesses, but of revitalizing communities and restoring essential institutions and services. It takes a dedicated group to begin that recovery and moral determination to continue. It takes engagement of all sectors of the community.

Community and Economy

11 of 16

Resource Scarcity

The pandemic highlighted a fragile global economic system. Supply chains have become challenged and prices, particularly in food and energy, rising.

There were already global shortages of critical resources including

Water, which ranked first
Agricultural products, which are dependent on water and arable land
Energy minerals
All other mineral resources

The problem is aggravated by

Rising global populations
Increasing demand by developing nations
Increasing severe weather events
International conflict.

12 of 16

Targeted Innovation

There are best practices to draw on. RRH proposes a core group of programs to restore local economic viability once the initial organization is formed, including:

A community center/innovation hub, which provides a place to work, to meet, a maker space with tools, and a program for sharing workforce knowledge and skills development.
Broadband connectivity is vital. Broadband is more than infrastructure. It empowers local enterprises including business, government, education, and civic groups. It is needed to attract the population of skilled workers and small businesses that are seeking to move from city to country, to work remotely and live a quieter, more pastoral and communal life.
Local agriculture is an entry wedge. Where there is land and water, and people willing to work out of doors with their hands, the food system can be increasingly localized. Capturing a share of the food market locally both increases food security and creates a significant revenue stream that stays in the community.

13 of 16

Restoring the built environment and energy efficiency, particularly on main street, is a priority. Livability is enhanced by walkable spaces with access to basic needs, food and recreation, and to public spaces. Restoration and renovation create hands-on jobs for local workers.

Local utilities are gaining traction. These utilities are community owned and managed, including electricity, water and waste management. They also capture revenue that stays in the community.

The watershed requires attention. Water is a critical resource dependent on the quality of the local natural environment. A watershed plan is an integral part of a comprehensive local plan. The plan covers all aspects of water in the community and region from source water to wastewater.

Infrastructure

14 of 16

Local financial institutions, including small banks and credit unions, owned and operated by community members, provide a foundation for local financial health increasingly independent from unstable global markets.

Veterans and retirees are an important asset.

Veterans have training and experience, work with discipline, have a sense of mission and duty, and enjoy the comradery of working collaboratively for something worthwhile.

Retired persons are a source of knowledge and experience.

15 of 16

Disclaimer�

Transition Centre/Rural Resilient Hub does not claim it will fix your problems; indeed, it does not offer to do so.

Our objective is to encourage each locality to gain the capacity to solve its own problems. We will work to facilitate a startup. We will help channel knowledge and skills and best practices to achieve that capacity. Coming from out of town, we bring a degree of objectivity. We are non-partisan.

There are communities that will choose to pioneer rural revitalization. Our objective is for these to achieve the capacity to serve as resource hubs within their own regions. Success will breed success.

We seek to establish a network of these hubs across the country to build synergy and overcome a sense of isolation.

16 of 16

Bill Sharp

Co-founder and Director of Transition Centre (www.transitioncentre.org), a Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation. The mission of TC is to promote and develop an integral model for local, self-reliant and sustainable economies and communities.

Bill spent a career as a planner and project manager with experience in government, business, higher education (college professor and academic administrator), and nonprofits (several startups). His focus has been community and economic development, specifically strategic human resource development. He has also worked in heavy industry and residential and commercial construction. He is a United States Air Force veteran.

He served as a College Township Council member and member of the Centre Regional Council of Governments General Forum. Currently, Treasurer of the Spring Creek Watershed Association, a member of the College Township Planning Commission, and formerly Vice-chair of the College Township Industrial Development Authority.

B.Sc. in Public Management with a two-year pre-engineering program and a minor in History. M.A. in sociology with a focus on community leadership development and additional graduate work in community development and business management.