LANSING, Mich. (The Center Square) – The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Rural Prosperity released a roadmap to rural prosperity.

The roadmap hinges on collaboration between state agencies, decision-makers, and rural communities and leaders.

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The Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity reached more than 2,400 rural residents through a statewide survey and hundreds of rural community leaders through regional events, issue-specific roundtables, and one-on-one conversations.

“Rural Michigan is home to unparalleled natural landscapes and resources; unique, small towns that are hubs for entrepreneurship; a workforce known for its hard work and innovation; and so much more that makes it truly special,” LEO director Susan Corbin said in a statement. “The Roadmap synthesizes the diverse, statewide feedback received from rural residents, the rural workforce, and rural businesses to build understanding and awareness of the most pressing issues communities face. It calls attention to the central role rural communities play in driving not just their own economies, but the state and nation’s future prosperity.”

The roadmap aims to give voice to rural communities, foster a statewide understanding of rural needs and priorities, and help guide local, regional, and state leaders in advancing collaborative and collective action to achieve prosperity across rural Michigan.

“The Office of Rural Prosperity recognizes the complex and nuanced reality of rural Michigan: rural communities are poised for unprecedented opportunity throughout the state but must prepare for those opportunities strategically and deliberately to be successful,” Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity director Sarah Lucas said in a statement. “Coordinated, strategic action is needed among all partners working towards rural prosperity in Michigan, and we’re excited to offer a vision for that action and collaboration with the Roadmap to Rural Prosperity.”

Strategies include:

• Grow and diversify the workforce across sectors
• Improve individual health and economic well-being
• Support local and regional capacity to deliver services
• Expand quality and attainable housing opportunities
• Build and maintain resilient infrastructure
• Enhance regionally driven and place-based economic development efforts
• Protect, conserve, and be a responsible steward of natural assets

“No strategy can – or should – be one size fits all, and this roadmap weaves together not only strategies for rural communities to proactively address their future prosperity, but also illustrates how these strategies are interrelated,” Travis Alden, Senior Director of Community Development at Right Place, said in a statement. “Typically, the smaller the community, the bigger the capacity gap to really take full advantage of the myriad opportunities that exist. That’s where this kind of real-world guidance can really assist local leaders and collaborative partners – including economic development organizations like us – in making meaningful, positive and catalytic impacts in their communities.”