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          Author's Image

          Ben Speggen

          Author


          Ben Speggen serves as the Editorial Director at Our Towns Civic Foundation, where he helps capture and tell the stories of the people and places driving community renewal throughout the country.

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          APPLY LESSONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

          Discovering ‘Cultural Debris’: Making a Big World Small By Paying Attention to Permanent Things

          RURAL & REGIONAL

          Running Fiber-Optic Cable to Rural Communities Is Part of Maine’s Ambitious Broadband Plan

          ECONOMIC & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

          What Midwest Industrial Communities Can Teach About Managing Economic Change

          BIG LITTLE IDEAS

          'Uniting Americans through Service: How California is Leading'

          PODCAST

          Inside Our Towns: John Kropf

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          3 reasons local climate activism is more powerful than people realize

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

          ‘How America’s Towns are Writing the Future of the Country’

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Cleveland Pilot Project Provides Rooftop Solar for Low-Income Residents

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Trees Bring Hope, Healing, and a Look to the Future for Western Kentucky Tornado Victims

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          That empty space next to highways? Put solar panels on it.

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

          A Year in Renew, A Year-in-Review: The Stories from 2022 of American Renewal

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

          2022: A Year in Renew, Continued!

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

          2022: A Year in Renew

          RURAL & REGIONAL

          New Podcast Highlights Transformations Taking Place In Rural America

          PODCAST

          Inside Our Towns: Josh Fryday, California's Chief Service Officer

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Push for Electric Ag Equipment in Oregon Is Led by Independent Groups

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          This is the site of the Our Towns Civic Foundation, dedicated to connecting innovators, reformers, civic-patriots, and dreamers across America. The reports here are based on travels and interviews over the past decade by Deborah and James Fallows. The ongoing accounts will emphasize local voices on how communities are adjusting to the economic, environmental, and technological opportunities and challenges of the era.

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