ED-Central


In This Issue


- A Glimpse in the Future: Ignite the Imaginations of Your Citizens
- Stand Up and Be Counted: Take a Resource Inventory




Van Horn, Texas sits astride IH 10 in west Texas, miles from most things that many people take for granted – chain restaurants, shopping, movies and more. But Van Horn also sits in the middle of an economic Renaissance that is gaining attention from across the state and nation.

A Glimpse in the Future: Ignite the Imaginations of Your Citizens

During any community development project, a deep and collective vision amongst community members is vital; it serves as a mobilizing factor, engaging citizens and moving them to action. But how do you keep the flames of vision ignited among your citizens when the physical culmination of a project may be years from realization? One effective approach is to help them envision future results by enlisting the aide of computer simulations, hand renderings, scale models, or other tangible “deliverables". Display this in a place of honor within your community as a constant reminder of the great things in store. This will spark new interest and encourage citizens to support the project through its completion.

Stand Up and Be Counted: Take a Resource Inventory

Has your community ever considered taking an inventory of its assets and resources? This exercise unites citizens in a positive brainstorm about their community, allowing them to effectively identify resources and strengths that may then be engaged for the good of the community. Asset mapping should be a highly organized activity, with the groups and methods clearly defined, either by community leaders or an outside third party facilitator. Keep in mind that some of your community’s assets may be physical, such as a beautiful historic building or a stunning mountain range, and others may be intangible, like a particularly warm and friendly citizenry. Once identified, resources and assets should be cataloged, prioritized, and serve to guide and energize your community’s economic development projects and initiatives.

Van Horn, Texas sits astride IH 10 in west Texas, miles from most things that many people take for granted – chain restaurants, shopping, movies and more. But Van Horn also sits in the middle of an economic Renaissance that is gaining attention from across the state and nation.

Van Horn Economic Development Corporation (VHEDC), teamed with Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and their partner AdventGX (AGX) to lead the community’s economic development initiative, also termed Project 7, that has resulted in impressive gains in charting a renewed future. At the forefront of those gains are a Road Improvements Plan and Beautification Strategy.

TEEX aims to provide meaningful support projects in economic development, particularly in rural Texas communities. When Van Horn presented its need for support, TEEX matched agency funds with Van Horn’s local contribution to support research and assessment to establish realistic and viable streetscape and landscape design improvements in Van Horn.

During the summer of 2006, a landscape architect addressed things such as curbs and gutters, lighting, pedestrian crosswalks, traffic mitigation issues and street improvements throughout Van Horn. The final deliverables included recommendations that addressed all the improvements sought by the VHEDC team as well as a series of panels that visually depicted various design concepts as a catalyst to further community discussions for final design.

The results were nothing less than spectacular according to Jeff McCoy, Executive Director of VHEDC.

“For the first time, residents of Van Horn could visualize the changes that were being suggested. The design outcomes – a series of panels that depicted Van Horn after the changes were made – created a sense of cohesion that now permeates all parts of the community. With the sense of cohesion came the realization that their opinions counted. When they view the panels, residents imagine other improvements and feel empowered to make suggestions for those improvements.”

Many of the improvements will soon be undertaken as part of Project 7 while much of the work will wait for partnership projects with the Texas Department of Transportation. Uniform lighting will be installed throughout the downtown area of Van Horn. Bump-outs will be built with landscaping, seating and accessible curb cuts. These bump-outs will not only improve the appearance of the streets, they will also improve safety by providing pedestrians with a barrier between them and the traffic and a shorter path through the traffic zone. Furthermore, they are integral to the planned new parking on those streets – parallel parking will be replaced by angled parking. McCoy added that multiple funding sources will be strategically combined to assure a comprehensive approach to project completion and to provide all of the partners with an opportunity to tell their own story of program success.

Signature plants were identified as part of the project. They are native to the area and contribute to Van Horn’s emerging “sense of place". Together with uniform signs at entry ways into the community, way finding and directional signs, the plan, once fully implemented, will provide a feeling of uniformity. No longer will it appear that it was thrown together over time.

Outcomes of the project are numerous and McCoy says he could go on forever describing them. The community will take on a sense of definition, with boundaries that create useful spaces and provide citizens with a clearer understanding of the points to which they are responsible to maintain. The design elements of the panels have been incorporated into new projects and were established using previously developed projects as the foundation. A previously constructed parking area features best-practice examples of good planning and effective use of landscaping to provide a beautiful basis for the community wide design.

Another outcome of the project, according to McCoy, is that the panels provide the ability to see, in a very literal way, the vision of the community defined project. “The comprehensive nature of the project allowed multiple options to be presented and encouraged other ideas to flow. Everyone understands that their ideas are important and will be incorporated, or at least considered, as the project moves forward.” It has encouraged the council to adopt and/or enforce policies that support Van Horn’s development goals.

A series of community-based workshops conducted at the outset of Van Horn’s economic development initiative established a vision that makes Van Horn unique in its approach and can make it a model of rural economic development. Part of the success of the workshops is the use of strong visioning techniques to initiate and encourage participation. One outcome of the initiative is that every building in town has been photographed and the photos digitized to create a “virtual” community. Using computer technology, proposed changes can be visually presented and reviewed prior to any action being taken.

Another outcome of the project has been effective planning for increased grant-writing to achieve the goals of Project 7. A Van Horn Foundation was established and recently designated a 501(c)3 organization. “As we proceed,” said McCoy, “the visuals developed in the TEEX supported design project are proving increasingly valuable as funding agencies and prospective partners acquire a common vision through viewing the design panels.”

Recently, a retail incubator was proposed and approved by the VHEDC Board. The Texas Mountain Mercantile retail store and entrepreneurial incubator has been recognized by the Lower Colorado River Authority as a Best Practice for Texas communities and will be housed in an historic building in downtown Van Horn currently under renovation by a public/private partnership. The incubator is being developed to encourage entrepreneurship and small business growth in the community.

Innovative leadership has been crucial to the successes experienced to date by Van Horn. Although McCoy credits the community with the success of Project 7 and everything that followed the initial planning, in fact it was a partnership based on trust and the willingness to work together that formed the basis for moving onward. Leadership and vision at all levels in the community fostered creation of an environment of excellence that has spread throughout the community. Persistence and vision for the future prevailed in Van Horn whose residents were ready and willing to undertake a grand, new beginning – a true Renaissance. Initial small steps, many of which were already underway but are now joined in a comprehensive plan, have led to greater confidence in Van Horn – and the community is ready for greater, giant steps in the future.