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          WATER

          LOCAL INSTITUTIONS

          How a Community Center Helps a Town Rise Again

          Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development model to identify 51 actionable goals to improve their town. Today, they’re checking off the list, one by one.

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Finding ‘Higher Ground’: Locally-led Movement Works Toward a Just Housing Recovery in Eastern Kentucky

          The urgent need for housing assistance in flood stricken Appalachian communities reveals the severe limitations of the nation’s response and support systems. Community groups are stepping up to help.

          CIVIC LIFE

          To Both See and Tell the Country: From the Road through North Carolina to South Carolina

          Why seeing more of America matters.

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Turning the Tides

          Turtles, and people — a connected story, with an outcome you might not have guessed.

          WATER

          Past, Present, and Future on the Water: Using StoryMaps to Explore Bucksport, Maine

          What does a mile-long stretch along the Penobscot River tell the walker about Bucksport, Maine? As it turns out, a lot.

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          A Look at Lobstering and Craftsmanship

          Eastport, Maine has a long history of resilience. It’s still there today in Elijah Brice.

          LEADERS & GOVERNANCE

          Human’s Power versus Nature’s Power

          What power do communities have at the local level when it comes to the environment?

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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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