John Shepard is a rural connector. He keeps tabs on what lots of different people and organizations are up to, and he shares a lot online. I admire his role as the Vice-chair of the Small Town and Rural Planning Division of the American Planning Association, bringing rural planners together to share ideas.
John reminded me that plans are great, but implementation is the watchword. That stuck with me, and we discuss that as well as some influential rural organizations you should know about.
- How place influences small towns more than big cities
- Implementation is the watchword. What does that mean?
- What is “easy to measure” versus “important to measure”
- It can be hard to fail in a small town.
Important groups that John recommends following:
Since we talked, John has started work with Archuleta County in Colorado. Congratulations!
Catch up with John on Twitter @JohnCShepard and on his site JCShepard.com. Ask him about the LinkedIn Group for APA STaR (Small Town and Rural Planning.)
