The Orton Family Foundation has selected Hastings, Michigan, as one of five communities nationally to participate in a unique Community Planning Stewardship Case Study, an analysis of what makes communities succeed in stewarding their values, visions and community plans over time.  It's a hot topic for Orton, which is seeking new ideas for extending the lifespan and effectiveness of planning in the communities where it works.

 

Hastings, which adopted the HomeTown Competitiveness framework nearly six years ago, was nominated by Heartland Center Co-Director Milan Wall.  Wall is just completing an assessment of the Hastings initiative, known as HomeTown Partnership, or HTP.  Craig Schroeder of the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship is partnering on the assessment. 

 

The Heartland Center has been collaborating with the Orton Family Foundation for more than a year in a variety of ways.  Wall participated in an affinity group last fall organized by Orton in advance of the foundation's Community Matters 2010 conference in Denver.  Earlier this year, Orton contracted with the Heartland Center to conduct a comparative analysis of community readiness assessment tools.  That analysis is informing Orton's community selections for its upcoming Heart & Soul planning process.

 

The Community Planning Stewardship Case Study project is a new program of the foundation, searching for the best approaches and tools for implementing community plans, keeping citizens engaged and leaders accountable.  In seeking nominations for the study, Steven Ames, Orton's Craig Byrne Fellow for 2011, interviewed noted planning and community development practitioners, spoke with members of Orton's network of active collaborators and solicited online suggestions for potential nominees. 

 

In addition to Hastings, the final case study communities include Hillsboro, Oregon; Newtown County, Georgia; Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and West Duluth neighborhood, Minnesota.  The project pushed the envelope for Orton, expanding into areas of the country where the foundation currently concentrates (New England, Rocky Mountain West), as well as the types of communities (smaller rural towns and cities).

 

Hastings is the county seat of Barry County, Michigan, just 20 miles south of Grand Rapids.  The Barry County HTP initiative is a collaborative project organized by the Barry Community Foundation, where Bonnie Hildreth is the president.