CITIZENS’ INSTITUTE ON RURAL DESIGN

The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is a long-running initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Housing Assistance Council. It focuses on communities with populations under 50,000, equipping local residents to leverage their own cultural and artistic resources to guide development and shape the physical and social design of their towns. By centering local voices in design processes, CIRD underscores a truth central to Aspen CSG’s work: durable rural prosperity requires honoring place-based assets, fostering belonging, and ensuring residents have agency in shaping the future of their communities.

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group