Re-Energizing a Strong Planning Tradition With a New Vision

The Center for Rural Massachusetts (CRM) is a collaborative effort of the University of Massachusetts Extension, via its Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Program (NREC), and the UMass Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning (LARP). CRM was founded in 1985, and for the next decade was a pioneer in promoting compact development (in anticipation of the smart growth movement), improved residential design, village center enhancement and other innovations in small town planning and design.

After the mid 1990’s, The Center functioned principally as a publishing medium for relevant research and studies. In 2004, CRM was re-energized with a new mandate and vision: to affect a true integration of traditional land use planning with natural resource conservation and the promotion of working landscape strategies. For too long, environmental organizations have looked at natural resources, land use planners looked at zoning tools and economic development groups looked at tax bases, each with little consideration of the whole picture. CRM now strives to employ the most advanced tools and techniques to help bring about an amalgamation of these approaches to local planning and rural development.

This tightly integrated, multi-disciplinary and multiple-strategy model recognizes that working with landowners throughout the Commonwealth to promote ecosystem integrity while enhancing forestry and agricultural activity helps to attain various community-wide and regional planning goals. These public benefits might include: continued forest cover and the companion ecosystem services forests provide, local economic well-being and growth; landscape and community character preservation; natural resources conservation; promotion of compact development; and attenuation of the fiscal burden “spikes” that come with sudden growth spurts in small communities. Conversely, institution of better planning and regulatory practices increases the likelihood that working landscapes can continue to exist, and

helps communities and regions equip themselves with tools that can accommodate development in ways that are less damaging to their man-made and natural environment, their economic and fiscal health, and even the affordability of their housing.

CRM aspires to become the statewide center for innovation in rural long-range planning by :

• Engaging (alone and with others) in specific demonstration projects.
• Conducting an ongoing program of innovative research, dissemination and publication that furthers the vision.
• Generating materials and services over time, including community and regional workshops, educational seminars and electronic and written products that are of help to communities and landowners within the state and beyond, CRM aspires to become the statewide center for innovations in rural long-range planning.

The pending flagship project for CRM is the Five Town Action Initiative, a highly innovative demonstration project involving five contiguous Highland Region towns in cooperative implementation of their existing community plans, is a candidate for foundation and other funding, and could be underway sometime this summer. The Highland Communities Initiative, a program of the Trustees of Reservations, is partnering with CRM in this unique effort, which will marshal the diverse technical resources of the University to work with communities to build capacity, institute strong initiatives and ultimately make a real difference in the region. The project is more fully described under the News page in this website.

Contact Information:
Glenn H. Garber, AICP Center for Rural Massachusetts 109 Hills North Amherst, MA 01003 Telephone: (413)545-0153 Fax: (413)545-1772 ggarber@umext.umass.edu	Paul Catanzaro UMass Extension Holdsworth Natural Resource Center 160 Holdsworth Way Amherst, MA 01003 Telephone: (413)545-4839 cat@umext.umass.edu

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