Thrive Rural Framework: Foundational Element

View this Publication

The Thrive Rural Framework is a new tool to help you take stock, target action, and gauge progress on rural prosperity. We invite everyone involved in rural development — from local leaders to investors and philanthropists to state and national policymakers — to use this tool to spark new ways of thinking and acting to move communities, regions, and systems toward producing more widespread and equitable rural prosperity, health, and well-being.

The Foundational Element of the framework requires identifying and dismantling historical and ongoing discriminatory practices that disadvantage rural people and places. For each Building Block, at both the Local and Systems Levels, we ask: 

  • In our community, region, or system, how are people and places participating differently or experiencing worse or better results based on race, place, and class? 
  • What historical or existing exclusion is at work in policy, practices, leadership, or behaviors that is causing or perpetuating each of these differences? 
  • What is the change that is needed? What will it take in individual, organizational, or collaborative action to influence or make that change?
Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
Latest From Aspen CSG
publications
Mapping a New Terrain: Call to Action

As new rural outdoor recreation economies take root, we can meet this moment by improving how we do outdoor recreation development to better support rural families, businesses, and workers, create more sustainable and equitable economic systems, and improve local health and wellbeing.

publications
Building Trust and Visibility Through Community-Based Participatory Research at Rural Minority-Serving Institutions

This research brief explores how rural MSIs and approaches to community-based participatory research can be used to better understand MSIs’ nature and practices.

event
Growing Rural Equitable Outdoor Recreation Economies

Jun. 9th, 2023, 1PM

How is your community using outdoor recreation to grow sustainable, healthy livelihoods for families and new economic futures for your region?

publications
Using Networks To Build Collaborative And Equitable Food Systems

This brief focuses on local food systems as vehicles for collaboration and racial equity among multiple stakeholders and networks.

media
Rural Community College Excellence

A new report by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program identifies four pathways that the best rural and Tribal community colleges use to capitalize on strengths and overcome challenges to achieve student success.

media
Toward Better Rural Futures

ChangeLab Solutions' new blog series highlights key learnings from their most recent rural project, Toward Better Rural Futures.

blog-posts
Learning to Seize the Moment with Regional Collaboration

Event recap blog with resources and big-picture insights on working regionally to increase capacity to drawn down federal funding.