While many Southwest Virginia towns have historically depended on the coal industry for jobs, residents of Appalachia, Virginia, made their voices heard after the tragic death of a child and may have helped preserve their town in the process.
This month, we skip our update from Pearisburg to bring you feedback from Roanoke, where attendees at the CityWorks Xpo offer their insights about what makes small towns so special. Meanwhile, our expert tip comes from Adam Wells of Appalachian Voices, who emphasizes the importance of citizen participation in bringing funding to your town.
Our featured projects this month come from Elizabeth Gilboy, who heads Virginia Tech’s Community Design Assistance Center, while Carl Zipper is a specialist with the Virginia Cooperative Extension working to restore lands affected by coal mining.
In our three questions for a mayor segment, we talk to Fred Luntsford, mayor of Appalachia.
