Community Development

“The goals of this convening were to: educate participants through participatory learning, engage participants in a visioning process and energize participants for creating community change. The Purdue Extension Community Development team played a key role in helping us realize these goals.”

“By engaging in HCI, we have already seen several communities take those essential next steps in building upon their foundations for locally determined community and economic development opportunities.”

"We know that our rural communities play a vital role in Indiana’s economy, and I commend the finalists for working together to develop a strong local vision for the future. It is through programs such as HCI that we are able to foster a culture that supports capacity building, collaborative partnerships and business growth and provides a quality of place where people want to invest, live, work and raise a family."

“Parke County decided to pursue the Business Retention & Expansion program because we understand that our existing businesses are probably our biggest strength that we have available to us today. Participating in this program has engaged a lot of our local leaders and other folks in the community that want to be a part of this program going forward.”

“Public spaces – of which we have a variety in our community – play a vital role as resources we all use day in and day out, whether they are retail areas we shop in, parks we play in or paths we walk. The creation of a Downtown Revitalization Study will be the blueprint for action steps in the years to come.”

“The Indiana Stronger Economies Together (SET) program is another example of how Purdue is strengthening collaborations to build vibrant economies across Indiana. It is a prime example of how Purdue expertise can assist communities as they build stronger economies to enhance the quality of life in Indiana."