Citizens' Institute on Rural Design: Request for Host Applicants

CIRD@ruralhome.org

The Citizens' Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) program consists of two different opportunities.

Local Design Workshop Communities: at least 4 communities will be selected to host an on-site rural design workshop. With support from a wide range of design, planning, and creative placemaking professionals, the workshops bring together local residents and local leaders from non-profits, community organizations, and government to develop actionable solutions to the community's specific design challenge. The community receives additional support through the Learning Cohort (described below).

Design Learning Cohort: at least 15 rural communities will be selected to participate in a virtual Learning Cohort. Rural community leaders from government, non-profits, local business, and civic organizations will participate in peer learning; training in design, planning, community engagement, and facilitation techniques; and support in navigating funding opportunities to make their community's vision a reality.

Examples of potential design challenges have included:

• Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of community buildings
• Designing quality affordable housing that supports livable and equitable communities; including housing and other amenities that support young people, families, and/or the elderly and aging in place
• Creating public or civic space that supports and integrates cultural expression and local identity and/or play and active recreation
• Developing recreational trails for mobility, active transportation, and economic development
• Redesigning Main Street as a local street versus state highway/thruway
• Improving access to healthy food and local food systems
• Leveraging Main Street or local businesses for economic development, including branding, wayfinding, facade improvements, and streetscape design
• Integrating cultural identity into the built environment to drive heritage tourism

Applicant Organizations must:

• Be part of a rural or tribal community of 50,000 or less, that is rural in character
• Have a specific design challenge in mind
• Be able to participate in CIRD as indicated in the Participation Expectations
• Commit to the full period of programming from June 2023 through December 2024

The following entities meeting the criteria above are encouraged to apply:

• Municipal, tribal, and county governments
• Local nonprofit organizations, including but not limited to Main Street organizations, art centers, preservation groups, historical societies, or chambers of commerce working in rural areas
• Regional planning organizations
• University community design centers, university agricultural/extension offices with close ties to the community presenting the design challenge
• Partnerships of entities listed above

Workshop Communities: at least 4 communities will be selected. Each workshop includes:

• $6,000 stipend to the host community for workshop and related expenses
• A tailored virtual and on-site design process working with a resource team to assist with goal setting, project visioning, and advancement toward implementation
• Site visit from a member of CIRD's design team prior to the community's local design workshop; the workshop generally occurs over a 3-day period
• A Design Book and action plan following the workshop, with project-specific design and planning recommendations
• Ongoing technical assistance related to project until December, 2024

Design Learning Cohort: An additional 15 communities from the applicant pool will be invited to participate in the Learning Cohort, which includes approximately 12 engagements, such as:

• A series of online learning sessions led by nationally recognized field experts, tailored to engage cohort members and activate peer learning
• A series of public webinars and private breakout sessions that connect cohort members to design experts
• Technical assistance through office hours, one-on-one coaching, optional in-person convenings, and online resources
• Additional opportunities to socialize and share best practices and experiences with rural peers from around the country

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online application form are available on the program website when applications are being accepted.