Economic Renewal Guide: A Collaborative Process for Sustainable Community Development

This field-tested manual describes how a few energetic people can help steer their community toward development that’s sensitive to local values and the environment. Filled with success stories, worksheets, media materials, and resources, it’s a do-it-yourself toolkit for anyone who wants to get sustainable economic development moving in the local community. Hopeful, creative, civil, and fun, the Economic Renewal process is designed to defuse factionalism, encourage citizen involvement and collaborative decision-making, and lead to practical projects that benefit everyone. 3rd edition (paper, 1997). 225 pages.

From the Rocky Mountain Institute (known for research and advocacy on environmental issues that are at once creative and practical) comes a detailed, step-by-step guide to involving a wide range of citizens in planning for sustainable community economic development. Urging that a "bottom-up" (rather than "top-down") process will both generate more ideas and produce broader support for the development projects ultimately adopted, the guide explains basic concepts of sustainable development, major approaches to community economic challenges, and key elements of collaborative decision making. Then author Kinsley (not the former Crossfire host, who's now 'zining in cyberspace with Bill Gates) spells out the eight-step "Economic Renewal" process, from mobilizing the community to developing project action plans. The text is full of examples of how specific towns, regions, and interest groups, most in the western U.S. and Canada, have successfully used this process to identify sometimes surprising ways to strengthen their local economies. A nuts-and-bolts manual for a more inclusive conversation about our communities' economic futures. Mary Carroll