(THIS IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE CORRESPONDING CONTENT PILLAR + THE IMAGE ON THE BACKGROUND IS WHAT WE’LL USE IN THE COLLAGE OF ALL PILLARS, FOR ASSOCIATION & RECOGNITION/MAKING A CONNECTION vs JUST A BLOG CATEGORY DESIGNATION:) Creating a vision of what a better future might look like, bridging gaps between communities, and empowering “regular people” to see themselves as agents of change.
Known largely as the country’s sole manufacturer of the Corvette and home of Western Kentucky University (WKU), Bowling Green is also one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in Kentucky. Founded in 1798, the city and its surrounding Warren County are projected to double in size to 233,000 by 2050.
To prepare, its leaders are collaborating and adopting new strategies for sustainable and inclusive growth. One initiative, a pilot program called the BG2050 Project (BG2050), uses civic imagination and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a 25-year vision to guide this anticipated growth.
The fall after I turned 18, I moved from my hometown in Pikeville to the town of Bowling Green for college. The drive was less than five hours, an easy trip down the Cumberland Parkway anytime I needed a weekend at home. But despite being within state lines, and a mere one county outside what the ARC designates as the Appalachian region, something about Bowling Green felt like I had dropped onto a different planet.
Co-founder of the Sunlight Foundation
Ellen Miller
“40 Years of Shining Light on Government”
Director of Louisville Metro Department of Economic Growth & Innovation
Ellen Miller
“40 Years of Shining Light on Government”
“Paddle faster, I hear banjos.”
In the early 2010s, this phrase felt like it was on a t-shirt in every store I walked into. Usually, it was accompanied by stick figures or silhouettes of people in a canoe. Other times the shirt inexplicably featured popular TV characters like Family Guy’s Brian and Stewie. Regardless, the phrase showed up enough that 15-year-old me took notice. And despite never having seen the film these shirts referenced, I could sense that they were mocking someone - someone who kind of felt like me.