Research Reports

The purpose of this handbook is to help communities like yours begin thinking and planning for the future. It is not, however, a cookbook on community visioning. Every community in Pennsylvania is unique, so it must develop its own vision and plan for the future. On the other hand, many of the same principles and activities that are included in the process may be useful to many communities. To help communities find that common ground and allow them the freedom to decide what their plans might include, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania designed this handbook to focus on the process of visioning, not the outcome.

The Main Street Program has had a role in community revitalization in Pennsylvania since 1980. As of 2010, there were 165 programs initiated in Pennsylvania. This research explored the viability and sustainability of Main Street Programs (MSPs) in Pennsylvania and developed policy  considerations to support their continued viability and sustainability. For the research, sustainable programs were defined as those that had stability in leadership, governance, finances and staffing. The research, conducted in 2010, used existing data from the Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC) and the U.S. Census, and new data from a mail questionnaire of Main Street managers and site visits to a selection of programs throughout the state.

This research was conducted to profile clients of Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). Using 10 years of data (2000-2009), which included demographic variables such as gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status, and handicapped status, the researcher profiled rural and urban clients and compared their use of SBDC services.