Thrive Rural Framework Overview

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 Thrive Rural Framework focuses on what needs to be true in local communities and in larger systems to produce things like shared thinking and fair-minded goals, the readiness of people and leadership to act, and the organizational structures to learn and act together. In short, the Thrive Rural Framework is grounded in the relationships and connections that underlie rural development: people, governments, and systems all working together and in parallel to achieve greater rural prosperity for all.

To better visualize and digest the different layers involved in the framework, we created a series of documents that together showcase the entire framework: 

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group
Latest From Aspen CSG
Case Study
When Communities Keep Flooding: A Rural Environmental Justice Case Study

This short case study has insights and tips on address the causes and conditions contributing to flooding in rural places, as well as to envision and build thriving futures of equitable rural prosperity.

Event
Broadband technician working
Designing Scalable Co-Funding Solutions for Broadband and Digital Equity

Dec. 12th, 2023, 5PM

Join this webinar for way to unlock private and philanthropic contributions to help public broadband and digital inclusion funding reach underserved communities.

Blog
Natural disaster response workers moving sand bags
Rural Disaster Preparedness: Partnering for Resilience & Resources

Event recap blog with resources and big-picture insights on rural disaster preparedness.

Tool
Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design

CIRD empowers local citizens to use their unique artistic and cultural resources to guide local development and shape the future design of their communities.

Event
Field Based Rural Placemaking:  What Works Fast, Now, and on a Shoestring

Nov. 2nd, 2023, 2PM

Join this webinar for concrete placemaking strategies and takeaways relevant to rural communities of every size—even the most isolated and least resourced.

Blog
From Competition to Cooperation: Insights on Rural Wealth Creation

Insights from rural practitioners who are advancing equitable prosperity and economic development in a way that embraces and strengthens the unique assets of rural regions.