Semi-Finalists

Congratulations to the 24 semi-finalists in the Strong Communities: Engaging Citizens, Strengthening Place, Inspiring Change competition!

These 24 entries demonstrated an impressive commitment to building strong communities through planning, environmental sustainability, youth engagement, local economy, and the arts.

An independent panel of judges reviewed the semi-finalist entries and selected eight finalists to join us at CommunityMatters '10, where they'll have an opportunity to showcase their work, meet other innovators, and develop community building skills. Winners will be selected by YOU via online public voting beginning September 22. Best of luck to all semi-finalists!

Read more about the competition, visit the competition website or read more about our early entry winner.

Art in Storefronts

This project in San Francisco places local artwork in underused or vacant shop fronts. This effort combats the downturn in the economy by benefitting local artists and revitalizing local business.

Bend 2030 Vision Builds

Bend, Oregon is taking a collaborative, community-based approach to implement a long-term vision for development, growth, and sustainability.

Community Stewards: Building the Network to Create Great Communities

The Cascade Land Conservancy in Washington is spearheading an effort to build networks of engaged citizens who will shape the future of their communities by advocating for smart growth and livability.

Cultivating Community: It's Growing Everywhere

Bountiful Brookline in Massachusetts is cultivating community through town-wide production of affordable local food, which grows and promotes community gathering.

Epicenter

The Epicenter in Green River, Utah, is a community-based affordable housing, small business resource, and cultural center.

Food System Enhancement Project

In Oregon, the Food System Enhancement Project has gathered key local partners to develop a food system strengthening strategy that includes healthy corner stores, mobile farmers' markets, urban and rural farmers' markets, a commissary kitchen for value added production, and local sourcing from growers in the county.

From Atlanta Congestion to Atlanta Streets Alive!

This project in Atlanta, Georgia takes a contested public space – city streets – and opens it up for people to play, walk, bike, and breathe.

Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel Project

This Louisiana project is an innovative youth-led social enterprise designed to collect and recycle New Orleans’ used cooking oil into environmentally-friendly biodiesel fuel as a means of educating and developing leadership, environmental stewardship, and social entrepreneurship of young people for the “Green Collar” workforce.

Kamiah Community Partners Coalition (KCPC) Youth Activity Implementation Project

This project in Kamiah, Idaho is working to create change in their community that will reduce the amount of alcohol & substance use by youth. The project builds partnerships for positive & healthy youth development, engaging youth as active leaders in their community

Landscape Auction for Vermont's Working Landscape

This live auction event allows individuals, groups, and businesses to place a bid to “adopt” a landscape element – such as a riparian buffer or wildlife habitat – by funding its protection or maintenance for a period of time.

LanX: A Local Securities Exchange Project

In south central Pennsylvania, this regional exchange model provides ultra micro-cap financing to small businesses, thus rejuvenating local communities by providing more financing options and shrinking the equity gap that currently hampers the development of small and medium size firms.

Making the Rules - Young Citizens Learning Together for Change

Located in British Columbia, Canada, Making the Rules is an experiential program to help young people explore democratic citizenship, and what actions they believe will make their community more democratic for all citizens.

Network Organizing

The Making Connections Network in Louisville, Kentucky is a network focused on achieving results for children and families and transforming the systems and policies that affect families.

OpenNeighborhood: Revisioning Kelley's Corner

Using the virtual-reality program 'Second Life' and more low-tech arts/crafts tools the public of all ages was invited to re-visualize an old commercial suburban intersection marked by unused store fronts and parking lots in Acton, Massachusetts.

Our Town, Our 'Hood: Intergenerational Mapping Project from Queens Community Media Center

Our Town, Our 'Hood aims to engage Queens, New York neighborhoods in community journalism through an intergenerational mapping project. Different neighborhood populations share stories and document the changes in their neighborhoods, culminating in an interactive web-based map.

Place Work[s]hop

Place Work[s]hop in Maryland is a collaborative community design initiative that allows people to shape and respond to the most important questions they face and empowers them with techniques to implement innovative answers.

Pueblo County Economic Gardening

In Pueblo, Colorado, Economic Gardening is an entrepeneur-centered economic growth strategy, focused on giving established small businesses the tools they need to grow in the global marketplace.

Remington Youth Community Radio (RYCR)

In Maryland, RYCR is a community based arts program, engaging youth and adults in creating, collecting, and recording stories about their neighborhood.

Rise & Shine Food Co-op

This teen-inspired, teen-managed nonprofit business in Florida addresses food insecurity by providing families with high quality, low cost fresh food twice a month while providing teens with valuable “real life” work experience and skills that will help them successfully transition into adulthood.

Sustain-A-Raisers: Re-imagining "Barn Raisint" for Sustainable Home and Yard Retrofits

Sustain-a-Raisers (inspired by barn-raising) are teams of youth in Lakes Region, New Hampshire that provide sustainable home and yard retrofits, or "raisers," that promote resource conservation and self-sufficiency.

Sustainable Jersey

Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money, and sustain their quality of life. It provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward communities as they pursue sustainability programs.