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          STORYMAPPING

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

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

          The Our Towns team looks back at the stories of local-level ideas that are driving and inspiring renewal nationwide.

          COMMUNITIES THAT WORK

          2022: A Year in Renew, Continued!

          A continued look back at the stories of local-level ideas that are driving and inspiring renewal nationwide. 

          ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

          Unlocking Potential

          At-risk youth in North Carolina hold the keys to flipping a decommissioned prison into a sustainable farm and community asset.

          PODCAST

          Inside Our Towns: Allen Carroll and Story Maps

          Evan Sanford explores the origin and evolution of Esri’s story maps with the innovative storytelling tool’s creator, Allen Carroll.

          COLLABORATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS

          Story Maps are at the Center of Community Collaboration in Kent, Ohio

          New digital tools give communities innovative and engaging ways to tell their own stories. In Kent, Ohio, a community-wide collaboration among Kent State University, Main Street Kent, and the Kent Historical Society & Museum uses story maps to teach residents about the town's rich history. 

          GEOJOURNALISM

          Why Story Maps Matter

          People understand the world through stories. People absorb their stories in ever-expanding ways. Here is a preview of a powerful, emerging form of digital story-telling, which we’ll be using frequently in this space.

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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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