Atlas will identify available buildings in your community’s downtown areas and determine cultural or entrepreneurial concepts to revitalize these spaces.

We understand that the right project can be catalytic to a community. We can identify concepts that will engage and inspire other community members as a holistic approach to downtown revitalization.

Atlas understands the unique problems facing rural America when it comes to housing. Indeed, housing is the top concern of every community we visit.

We interview local employers to determine potential job growth and housing needs. We then explore and create funding models to incentivize the development of new housing options or blight remedy plans.

We engage major area employers to gauge growth potential and workforce needs. Often, we find that companies want to expand but cannot find the labor force to do so.

We work with employers, educators, and area economic development officials to create a workforce attraction plan specifically tailored to your community.

“Complete streets” consider the needs of cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. to create welcoming, public spaces for all. These streets also boost downtown economic development by slowing foot traffic in front of retail opportunities.

Many rural community members appreciate complete streets when they see them in cities, but don’t know how to start or fund the campaign to bring them to their hometown. We can help.

Public art is a staple of creative placemaking. It’s a relatively quick way to engage the community and publicly demonstrate the effort being made by the city.

Atlas can help create a public art plan by establishing locations for art installations and defining criteria for artist selection. And like every plan we create, we’ll help create the funding model.

Perception is one of the biggest hurdles rural America is facing. We perform a branding + marketing audit to analyze existing efforts and opportunities for growth.

We deliver a high-level marketing strategy, leveraging what’s unique about your community, and identifying target audiences for the biggest impact.

We perform an analysis to determine your community’s competitive position for talent. We can then identify holistic strategic goals and tactics to address your community’s highest priority challenges and opportunities.

We’ll provide your community with an implementation action plan to operationalize the strategy through the creation of timelines, budgets, staffing recommendations, identification of potential funding sources, and more.

Simple beautification efforts like light post banners can enhance a downtown area and signify community change. We will make beautification recommendations and choose specific sites that have the most impact.

Wayfinding can have an economic impact by directing travelers to retail opportunities or popular destinations. Atlas will design wayfinding signage to standards and specify installation locations throughout town.

We understand the importance of amenities to attract and retain a new workforce. Atlas can help you identify places and opportunities for new amenities.

We will work with you to create a programming model specific to an area of the community or building. We can also help you outline opportunities for sponsorships, funding sources, and marketing.

Access to broadband is essential for all members of your community, especially as it starts to intertwine with all parts of daily life including working, going to school, and receiving medical care.

Atlas will work with your community and local partners to establish a business model to bring fiber to homes throughout your community.

The Atlas team understands that buildings often hold valuable meaning for a community.

We can work with business owners to identify needs and create an incentive program for revitalization.

Atlas can conduct a situational analysis for the local tourism economy. We can then identify your community’s existing assets to create new or improved opportunities for tourism attraction.

We can also provide recommendations for implementation and marketing, identifying relevant audiences for special campaigns.