Carey Institute and Town of Rensselaerville Awarded $10,000 Grant for “Country to Capital” Project
Grant to strengthen connection between rural and urban communities
Rensselaerville, N.Y. – The Carey Institute for Global Good and the Town of Rensselaerville are pleased to announce they have been awarded $10,000 from the Hudson River Valley Greenway Community Grants Program. These funds will support a needs assessment of rural-urban linkages and how Rensselaerville could benefit from improving connections with nearby urban centers such as Albany, Cobleskill and Hudson.
“This is an exciting project for our small community and we thank the Hudson River Valley Greenway for seeing the potential it offers,” says Rensselaerville Town Supervisor, John Dolce. “We expect to learn a lot and identify opportunities to create new regional connections.”
The term “rural-urban linkages” refers to the connections between rural and urban areas such as flows of people, goods, money and information. It also includes connections between rural and urban sectors such as agriculture, services and manufacturing. A growing body of research suggests that rather than treating rural and urban areas as distinct and separate, the connections between them should be taken into consideration. This offers a more inclusive approach to development, as has been recognized within the international development arena.
Rural areas of the Capital Region are often referred to as a beautiful backdrop to the area’s world-class tech sector. Sustainable Communities Program Manager Rebecca Platel says that scenic landscapes are just one aspect of rural communities. “A more deliberate, rural-urban approach could offer new perspectives on local and regional economic development, particularly in a place like Albany County,” said Platel. “The county’s land area is about half rural and half urban and is home to a diversity of sectors, from tech and education to agriculture and creative entrepreneurship.”
The project and funds will be administered by the Carey Institute for Global Good. Work will begin February and will include several opportunities for community participation. The findings of the needs assessment will be published in hard copy and online at careyinstitute.org.
The Carey Institute’s Sustainable Communities Program seeks to advance the role of rural communities in sustainable development, with a key strategy of cultivating and strengthening connections between rural and urban areas. For more information, contact Rebecca Platel at rplatel@careyinstitute.org.
The Sustainable Communities Program builds and strengthens rural economic opportunity that is sustainable, resilient and climate aware. Specifically, it identifies policies that have the potential to create value among rural resources, rural economies and urban markets, and then work to bring those opportunities down to local communities.
The Carey Institute for Global Good is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2012 by Wm. Polk Carey and is dedicated to building a strong, educated and just society. Through its programs, the Institute strives to bring together innovative and dynamic people from around the world to address the most pressing issues of the day. For more information visit www.careyinstitute.org.
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