Planned approach to community revitalization

Here are my thoughts on Main Street Small Town Saskatchewan. It is about a planned approach to community revitalization. Can we maintain growth to keep up with our larger centers?  Just how do we focus our assets in a losing battle with big city money and planning? To grow we need jobs behind any projects and/or programs. As the city planners analyze their growth, we lack the people and resources, but not the ideas. Can you build a new community that ensures that ratepayer control at the council table translates into the much needed policy and program gains needed in the town? It’s an old concept we all seem to have lost over time.

 

Planning:

 

- Attracting people and/or keeping young people to small town Saskatchewan is a never ending story of too few jobs and too many low paying jobs.

- if this can’t be changed then we need to look at attracting people who don’t need jobs, people who work from home or want to create jobs they can work part time at.

- A big segment we have seen is people buying second homes in the RM. Could our community be a choice for that second home?

 - So what would bring anyone here? What do we have? Housing and housing/lot costs could be the driver we are looking for. Add in assets we don’t see, like lakes, forests, trails, anything outdoors, when the hard needs people want, our hospital, medical clinic, senior’s homes, personal services, retail, restaurants, school, good water and high internet speed.   

 

Strategy Number 1

-       Tell people about your town

-       have a short and long term housing plan

-       Write reviews on the last few moves into the town.

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Strategy Number 2

-       Follow other Main Street models

-       Form advisory councils

-       Customize our economic development strategies for a main street model

-       Use a “green” “people friendly” approach to influence visitation to Main Street.


draft, sept 26th, 2014