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Rural Research
The CCNC has partnered with the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) to develop a project on cultural development in rural communities. ARPA is engaging in a four-year project whose goal is to encourage and develop active and creative communities. ACE (Active Creative Engaged) Communities is a community development initiative of ARPA made possible with funding provided by the Rural Alberta Development Fund (RADF). The ACE initiative is designed to “enhance the quality of life in rural Alberta by strengthening community leadership, collaboration, and innovation through recreation, parks, arts, culture and heritage.”

In partnering with the ACE Communities project, the CCNC has begun to develop original resources and is looking at strategies to replicate the 'ACE' approach across the country. The CCNC has just conducted a literature review of existing and original research to identify 'best practices' in rural communities.

The CCNC Rural Research project is a partnership with the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (as part of the ACE Initiative) and the Department of Canadian Heritage.The research was directed by Dr. Nancy Duxbury and Heather Campbell at the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver), with insightful contributions from three international collaborators:

• Australia – Kim Dunphy, Program Manager, Cultural Development Network, Melbourne

• United States – Dr. Patrick Overton, Director, Front Porch Institute, Oregon

• Europe – Dr. Lidia Varbanova, Laboratory for European Cultural Cooperation, Amsterdam; and the Centre for Intercultural and Social Development, Montréal

Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Arts and Culture:
Summary Overview (PDF, 344 KB, 12 pages)

Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Arts and Creativity: 
An International Literature Review and Inventory of Resources
Document (PDF, 6.5 MB, 210 pages)

Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Arts and Creativity: 
Annotated Bibliography
Document (PDF, 2.1 MB, 73 pages) 

Paper abstracts available in French | Document (PDF, 120 KB, 5 pages)

Also available in French:
Developing and Revitalizing Rural Communities Through Arts and Creativity: A Literature Review (Édifier et dynamiser les collectivités rurales par le biais des arts et de la créativité : Une analyse documentaire) Document (PDF, 2.7 MB, 71 pages)

Note: Table of contents and individual papers are available as separate files. Please contact us if needed.