Examples of Asset-Based Development Projects

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Online Directory

In 2005, the Blue Ridge National Heritage area and the North Carolina Folklife Institute initiated an online directory of traditional artists. Project managers with expertise in folklore interviewed artists for possible inclusion and selected 250 for the directory, which went online in 2007. The directory was later expanded, with the help of an ARC grant, to nearly double the original size. Each entry includes biographical information, a description of the tradition represented and its significance to the Region, and services offered for public programs.

Gems of Appalachia Training and Capacity Building

The gateway communities in the Tennessee Overhill are positioned to benefit from travel trends that point to increased interest in outdoor recreation, cultural tourism, ecotourism, and agri-tourism. Through this training project, community leaders, elected officials, property owners, and businesses from three counties learned about the possibilities and options for tourism development and planning for sustainability. Strategies for preserving farms, including conservation easements, forest legacy programs, downtown preservation, retail recruitment, and marketing were included in the training.