Moving Beyond RecoverySustainability in Rural America BY ROBERT BERKEBILE AND

STEPHEN HARDY

There are some things you learn best in calm,and some in storm.

Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915

Rural communities across the country are in crisisand searching for prosperity. Whether caused by adisaster or steady decline, this is a real crisis. Howcan we reverse the population decline of our heart-land, and what is possible in places with bountifulrenewable resources, direct connection to the land,and a history of strong action? If, as some suggest,a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, and if the op-portunity is properly shepherded, we could be onthe precipice of a shift toward the recovery of small-town vitality.

Throughout our history as a country, farmers haveworked their fields and fed the country. They un-derstand what it means to care for the land. Ourrural communities are close to the natural sys-tems that power a sustainable economy. It is pos-sible to leverage this knowledge and use it as acompetitive advantage in a potentially enormousnew sector of the American economy. To do thesethings, we have to be smart about how we invest inour communities, and we need to allocate catalyticfunding to help transform some of the country’spoorest areas into economically stable, productiveeconomies.

Innovations in sustainable design offer some newopportunities. It is possible to build new homes,schools, and businesses that consume far fewer re-sources, increase productivity, and improve humanhealth. Many of these things can be done for nocost premium, and virtually all have rapid economicpaybacks. In communities where people are stablerand less likely to make frequent moves, the bene-fits of more efficient, healthy, and durable buildingscould be enormous. For residents on fixed incomes,this is no small accomplishment. Offering incentivesthat allow our rural communities to embrace betterlong-term decision making is critical to securing thefuture of small-town America.

These new building techniques require trainedbuilders and creative thinking. There are hundredsof new businesses that potentially feed the vision ofa sustainable rural America, and the communitiesthat embrace new market opportunities will leadtheir peers. By developing new sustainable materi-als, rural communities could even attract scientificresearchers and entrepreneurial manufacturers.

Then again, building is only one small aspect of asustainable approach to rural development. Thereare many other sectors that also come with eco-nomic, social, and environmental benefits. Oneexample particularly relevant in rural areas is re-newable resources. As a country, we are moving to-ward a lean carbon economy, and from this it will bepossible for our rural communities to tap their im-mense wind, solar, and biomass resources to becomethe nation’s largest energy producers. Not only dothese resources create new jobs, they also generatecleaner air and cleaner water. There is little doubtthat renewable energy is a potential boon for manysmall towns.

The quality of life in a small town is a powerfulmarketing tool, and as technological innovationscontinue to shrink the distance between home andoffice the feasibility of a dispersed business model ison the rise. It is now possible for someone to live ina small town and participate in the global economy.We must continue this progress and ensure everycommunity has access to high-speed telecommuni-cation networks. Rural economies can be reshapedto embrace holistic solutions. With a renewed senseof economic vitality and dedication to quality of life,our rural communities can secure their future.

Tornado Hits Greensburg, Kansas

On May 4, 2007, an EF-5 (Enhanced Fujita Scale),two-mile-wide tornado hit Greensburg, a town of1,389 in southwestern Kansas. The tornado is stillthe most powerful on record in the United States,and the disaster leveled more than 90 percent of thetown’s buildings, killed ten people, and prompted a

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writer in the New York Times to observe, “Naturehad performed a coup de grace” on this “Kansastown” (June 24, 2007).

A second look reveals that this disaster was notthe only threat to Greensburg’s future. For decades,this rural Kansas town had struggled with an unsta-ble economy. With few opportunities for the youthswho were leaving the area, Greensburg’s populationhad aged and decreased from nearly two thousandin the 1960s. The town was on a familiar rural de-cline. To many onlookers, Greensburg was knownas a “dying town.” Conventional wisdom held thatthe tornado had merely finished it off.

The citizens of Greensburg found that the buildingshad been swept away, but the relationships formingthe bedrock of their community remained intact.

The citizens of Greensburg had a different idea.Emerging from the rubble of their ruined town,they found that the buildings had been swept away,but the relationships forming the bedrock of theircommunity remained intact. Drawing strength fromthese relationships, the citizens of Greensburg de-cided to rebuild. They recognized that things werenot working before and pledged to do it right. Thisagricultural community based its recovery strategyon respect for the land and rededication to futuregenerations. In the wake of this terrible disaster,the community rallied around a vision of a sustain-able future.

Recovery

Three days after the storm, an envoy to then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius came to our offices inKansas City with a request for us to visit Greensburgand deliver whatever assistance we could to thecommunity’s rebuilding efforts. Having worked inthe 1993 floods and in post-Katrina New Orleans,we knew the challenges facing the town. Our firstvisit to Greensburg confirmed our worst fears. It isimpossible to describe the total devastation. Build-ings were turned inside out. Hundred year-old ma-sonry schools, businesses, and homes were turned topiles of rubble, and the community’s extensive treecanopy was stripped completely. A walk down Main

Street revealed one lone building standing along acorridor that had been relatively unchanged for thepreceding century.

Even at this early date, we were far from the onlyenvoy already in town. FEMA and the NationalGuard were in charge, clearing debris and settingup temporary facilities. It wasn’t long before the listof outside federal resources grew to include the De-partment of Agriculture, Environmental ProtectionAgency, Department of Energy, and National Re-newable Energy Laboratory. State officials, the newsmedia, and countless volunteers also came to town,bracing against what was a very long and very hotsummer.

As days went by, the community of Greensburg be-gan to transition from survival mode toward re-covery mode. The work of FEMA’s recovery teamhelped establish a path out from the piles of debrisinto temporary housing and through the early stagesof community planning. Two large circus tents wereerected in the city park to house community meet-ings, prayer sessions, and planning conversations.South of town, “FEMAville” sprouted a new streetnetwork lined with white trailer homes, and thecommunity began dealing with the constant pushand pull between wanting to build back exactly whatwas there before and the hope of creating somethingdramatically different that would position them forsuccess.

Public Process

A pervasive public process was fundamental to es-tablishing a unified community vision, goals, and astrategy to move from devastation to renewal. Asdesigners, we began by learning about the place andthe values of the community through an open dia-logue about opportunities for the future.

The first public recovery planning workshop set thetone for the recovery process. Hundreds of peoplegathered under a large tent erected on the east edgeof town, eager to share their ideas for rebuilding.The planning team started the conversation by ask-ing three questions: “What are the community trea-sures?” “What are the barriers to rebuilding?” and“What would you like to change to create a vitalfuture for Greensburg?” Because a neutral observerfacilitated the meeting, citizens felt free to tell the

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truth about their concerns and hopes for the future.The workshop was active; people moved around,looked at maps, and created their own drawings.The community created a map of the treasures andlandmarks that survived the storm. Placement ofthe new school was a high-priority decision, andthe community formed several scenarios during themeeting. City staff, high school students, and othercitizens presented the findings alongside the plan-ning team. The planning team learned about thecommunity values during this process, and just asimportantly the community members reunited withtheir neighbors and formed stronger relationships.The workshop created a foundation for rebuilding;it was these relationships that constituted the solidbedrock on which Greensburg was rebuilt.

The tent remained a community gathering spacethroughout the recovery process, hosting severaldesign workshops, community meetings, and evenSunday morning church service. During the work-shops, the design team shared information about op-tions for sustainable design and, together with thecommunity, adapted it to local conditions. From thisprocess, the community formed a vision and pre-sented it to the planning team. That effort evolvedinto this statement:

Blessed with a unique opportunityto create a strong communitydevoted to family,fostering business,working together forfuture generations

At its heart, this vision is about constantly im-proving and strengthening community. A powerfulstatement memorializing generational thinking, itbecame the guiding principle for all decisions madein the comprehensive plan.

The resulting Greensburg Sustainable Comprehen-sive Plan is built around twelve progressive goalsdealing with the built environment, hazard mitiga-tion, economic development, resource management,housing, transportation, infrastructure, parks andgreen corridors, and future land use. Each goal isholistic in nature and would have a dramatic impacton the rebuilding effort.

Water: Treat Each Drop of Water as a Precious

Resource. Many new facilities in Greensburg incor-porate stormwater harvesting techniques, and thenew Main Street streetscape represents completionof a landscape element that uses only nonpotablewater for irrigation as well as incorporating na-tive plantings and underground cisterns, a high-efficiency irrigation system, and reclaimed brickpavers.

Built Environment: New Development Should Be

Durable, Healthy, and Efficient. City projects will leadthe way by becoming examples of green practicesthat are built to last. On December 17, 2007, thecity council passed a resolution requiring all publiclyfunded city buildings of more than four thousandsquare feet to be built to the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil’s LEED Platinum certification level. Greens-burg is the only city in the world with this commit-ment, and it is now positioned to be the home of thefirst eight LEED platinum buildings in the state ofKansas.

Energy: Promote a High Level of Efficiency in New

Construction and Look to Renewable Sources for

Generation. Last fall marked completion of a new12.5 megawatt wind farm just south of town.Greensburg needs about 3 megawatts for its ownneeds, and the remainder is sold out onto the grid,making the town completely powered by renewablesources. Also, through assistance provided by theNational Renewable Energy Laboratory, new homesthat received energy ratings are performing 43 per-cent better than standard homes built to code.

Renewal and Economic Development: Make Proactive

Decisions That Use This Opportunity to Reverse the De-

cline of the Community and Build a Progressive City

with a Strong Future. Ultimately, the sustainability ofGreensburg relies on the ability to bring new high-quality jobs to town. The vision of a green Greens-burg offers a significant competitive advantage. Theavailable resources, amenities, and clean energy re-sources that are planned for Greensburg create ahost of potential economic development opportuni-ties. Currently, six to eight medium-sized manufac-turers are in negotiations with the city and the Stateof Kansas with the intention of locating anywherefrom forty to two hundred new jobs in Greensburg

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because of its dedication to sustainability and avail-able renewable energy.

The John Deere dealership, owned by the Estes fam-ily, serves as perhaps the best model of economicrevitalization. This farm equipment dealership wascompletely destroyed by the EF-5 tornado. The own-ers vowed commitment to the goals of their commu-nity to rebuild better than before, and they pledgedto achieve LEED Platinum certification.

During the process of designing their new high-performance facility, the Estes family found op-portunities to expand on new efficiencies in theiroperation to create benefits for their customers andthe communities in their region. They created a sub-sidiary wind turbine business to make renewableenergy available to their clients and are selling tur-bines out of their second new facility to customersacross the country. Additionally, the family ob-tained permission to install cell phone transmitterson every wind turbine tower they install, supplyinguninterrupted data service for their clients’computer-controlled farming equipment, and bettercell phone service for the rural communities wheretheir clients live.

The Future

Since the disaster, Greensburg’s remarkable rebuild-ing efforts and commitment to sustainability havegained attention on the national stage. CBS Newsspent an entire week in Greensburg broadcast-ing their daily Early Morning Show live. PresidentGeorge W. Bush gave the commencement addressfor Greensburg’s graduating class of 2008, the first-ever high school commencement address given by apresident of the United States, and commended thetown on its efforts to rebuild sustainably. PresidentBarack Obama has twice mentioned the town in ad-dresses to the country. In the spring of 2008, theDiscovery channel launched a thirteen-part docu-mentary following the rebuilding of Greensburg, onits newly launched Planet Green channel. This on-going work and the commitment to a third season ofprogramming is testament to the continued dedica-tion of the residents of Greensburg to the principlesof sustainability. The portrayal of the process is alsoraising awareness of the planning process and thework of professional planners and designers.

The immense challenges in Greensburg’s reconstruc-tion, and the townspeople’s desire to embrace com-monsense green solutions, make it an ideal modelfor the sustainable rural community. There is an op-portunity to repair the destruction with a strongercommunity and a promising new way of life. Thisis not about disaster recovery but instead a strategyto capitalize on the opportunity to build replicablesystems capable of change from the ground up. Theyhave the opportunity to get it right, on a highly vis-ible stage. Greensburg could become a communitywith strong leaders who reach out to neighbors—acommunity where new businesses grow, where sus-tainability in its truest sense is embraced, and wherelessons learned grow outward to bolster rural pros-perity.

Lessons for Other Communities

Among the most exciting aspects of Greensburg’samazing reconstruction efforts are the implicationsfor other small rural towns. Greensburg is pioneer-ing the relationships, economics, and form of thesustainable rural community. The lessons learnedin Greensburg could be transferred to thousands ofstruggling small towns across the nation. Even largemetropolises are taking note and learning relevantlessons. Greensburg is redefining what is possible inrural America; it is serving as a model for the sus-tainable rural community of the future.

Setting Visionary Goals

Greensburg is proof of the often-quoted maxim byDaniel Burnham: “Make no little plans; they haveno magic to stir men’s blood.” The ability to setaudacious goals in the face of overwhelming inertiais truly a lesson for communities of all sizes. Hadthe community not set out on such an ambitiousagenda, funding, interest, support, dedication, andsuccess would have been diminished. This has beenshown to be true in many communities across thecountry. Without bold vision, inertia is likely to winout.

On-the-Go Implementation

The planning team worked with the city to con-duct an on-the-go approach to implementation. Thisapproach led to the launch of two important andhighly visible projects simultaneously with adop-tion of the plan, the Greensburg Business Incubatorand the Downtown Layout Scheme. The momentum

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generated by these projects instilled good faith in thepotential of the plan.

Blending Sustainability Plans and Comprehensive

Planning

One of the biggest missed opportunities in planningtoday is the separation of climate and sustainabilityinitiatives from the comprehensive planning process.Comprehensive plans benefit greatly from the holis-tic approach required when creating sustainabilityand climate plans. Indeed, the comprehensive planof the near past is not only outdated but often coun-terproductive in its myopia and encouragement ofunintended consequences. A well-executed compre-hensive planning effort should dramatically improvethe quality of life in a community and drastically re-duce long-term fiscal maintenance and operationalcosts.

Disaster Preparedness

The importance of a disaster preparedness plan isdifficult to overstate. Regardless of the type of dis-aster, knowing what to do immediately after theevent is critical to how it can be overcome. Hav-ing a plan for where people can regroup, how tofind help, what the key decisions are, and how youwant the disaster recovery planning to take place al-lows a community to improve the recovery process.One key example is reuse of damaged materials. Ifdone correctly, material reuse can speed recovery,

reduce costs, generate immediate employment, andreduce the environmental footprint of the rebuildingprocess. Without a plan, materials are likely to beburned or buried.

Conclusion

The lessons from Greensburg have real implicationsfor communities of every size. By thinking aboutplanning and development holistically, a relativelysmall taxpayer initiative can dramatically improvethe outlook for the entire community.

When we talk to people about the story of Greens-burg, we often hear “Yes, but they were luckyenough to have a tornado that allowed them to startwith a blank slate.” To which the mayor of Greens-burg often responds that he “would gladly tradean intact community for the blank slate.” Greens-burg is in the process of experimenting with sustain-able community design with great motivation, butagainst all odds. The truth is that if Greensburg canmake sustainable community building work, anyonecan. To quote the mayor one last time: “The onlyway to start is to just get started.”

Robert Berkebile is a principal at BNIM Architects, KansasCity, Missouri.

Stephen Hardy is director of planning at BNIM Architects.

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