Integrated Revitalization Initiative^™

Pilot Program

During 2004, the Revitalization Institute Technical Council created Version 1.0 of two rating systems, one for integrated restoration projects, and the other for integrated revitalization programs.  During the first six months of 2005, these rating systems were posted for public comment, and were polished by the resulting feedback. One result was the integration of these two systems into a single Integrated Revitalization Guide (IR Guide) that can be used for either projects or programs.  It still has two parts, however, an Asset Integration Guide and a Stakeholder Integration Guide. Version 2.0 of this IR Guide at the end of 2005.

Also during this period, we developed the Revitalization Strategy Workshop, which uses this Integrated Revitalization Guide as the base of its curriculum. Now, in 2006, it's time to put these tools to the test.  We have recruited four regions in North America as Pilots to apply and develop our leading-edge tools, using our 5-day Revitalization Strategy Workshop as the vehicle.  Through it, communities/regions will initiate the creation of their own integrated revitalization strategy, and will help us refine both the Strategy Workshop curriculum and the IR Guide. Development and design firms can also use the Strategy Workshop to better-integrate an individual project (brownfield, historic, watershed, infrastructure, catastrophe, etc.) with the revitalization of the surrounding community or region, while providing their project team with powerful training in integrated restorative development techniques. 

We are recruiting:

• 3 Integrated Revitalization Pilot Communities/Counties

• 3 Integrated Revitalization Pilot Regions (states, provinces, nations, watersheds, etc.)

• 3 Integrated Restoration Projects (brownfield, historic, ecosystem, agricultural, infrastructure, etc.)

We're looking for 9 Pilot Projects/Communities/Regions whose economic and/or environmental challenges will really put our integrated revitalization tools through the ringer.  What makes an 'interesting" Pilot candidate? The three primary characteristics we're looking for are:

• A good mix of restorable assets.  We divide restorable assets into twelve sectors.  The more of those that are found in your area, the greater the value you can derive from effective integration of their restoration.  That makes it a more valuable story for us to tell.

• An interesting cultural, economic, and/or ecological background.  If renewing your community/region will also bring back to life a natural, social, or business heritage that others will enjoy learning about, this too will add to your area's value as a Pilot project.

• A location that contributes to the diversity of the Pilot Program.  We wish to have as many continents, countries, cultures, and different size communities represented in these 9 Pilots as possible, so we will probably have to turn away some otherwise-ideal applicants, simply because we already have one with similar characteristics already enrolled.

Not sure if your project, community, or region would make a good Pilot Project?  Our 1-day Revitalization Vision Workshop is a wonderful learning experience for your leaders, planners, and designers, and will serve as a Pilot evaluation to boot.

To learn more about the Revitalization Strategy Workshop, click here.

To read more about Integrated Revitalization, click here.

More old stuff from other pages:

Note: The four Pilot Regions have already been identified, and no more applications are being taken. 

Leader Region recruitment is not yet open, but you are invited to email Storm Cunningham (or call him at 703-348-7878) to be placed on the priority contact list.  This can be done by any significant stakeholder organization in that region: government, academic, or non-profit (businesses are invited to sponsor or otherwise support such efforts, but the application must come from a government/NGO/academic organization.) See below for a draft overview of the IR Leader program.

 

Preliminary overview of the IR Leader program:

 

As noted above, recruitment of the 36 IR Leader Regions won't begin until the Pilot program is well underway (probably in late 2007).  For those who would like to begin planning and budgeting to be an IR Leader, here's an overview of how the Leader program will likely be structured.  Details are subject to change without notice.

 

Purpose: The purpose of the Leader program is to locally apply and further develop the IR Tools created by the Pilot program, and to create an integrated revitalization strategy--complete with viable stakeholder networks, public buy-in, and funding--by the end of the 3-yar period. The program can be used to revitalize a community, a county/parish, a region, a state/province, a tribe, or an entire nation. 

 

Method: The Leader program will be implemented in your community or region as a three-phase, 3-year process.  This is not a planning process, per se: Active revitalization efforts will take place throughout this 3-year period.  The ultimate goal is to have an integrated revitalization strategy designed and significantly funded by the end of the program, a strategy that will build on everything that was created and accomplished during the previous 3 years.

1. Phase One: The first phase will build public awareness, understanding, and support (including funding) for a local integrated revitalization initiative via a summit modeled on Revitalization Institute's 1-day Vision Workshop.  You will supply the venue, recruit the appropriate attendees, and organize all aspects of the event, and we will supply the curriculum and instructor(s).
2. Phase Two: During the second phase, we will work with you to create a model project (almost any kind of your choosing: a historic district, a waterfront, a watershed, a brownfield, a town, or whatever). The focus of the effort will be one of Revitalization Institute's 1-day Design Workshops. Also, we will work with your local leaders (government, academic, non-profit, and business) via phone, email, and occasionally in person to help them organize and advance your integrated revitalization initiative. The most efficient approach is to primarily focus on integrating existing "re" projects and programs (redevelopment, remediation, restoration, etc.) for all 12 sectors of restorable assets in your area. We will provide a maximum of 150 hours of personal assistance throughout the 3-year program, most of which will be expended during Phase Two (defined as the period between the Phase One event and the Phase Three event). 
3. Phase Three: The 3-year program ends with a 5-day workshop, during which you will harness everything that has been learned and accomplished, and create an integrated revitalization strategy for your future. The workshop will be based on the format of Revitalization Institute's 5-day Strategy Workshop.

Cost: