(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.
Appalachia is not a monolith.
It’s a sentiment shared time and time again, from news organizations centered on the Black experience in West Virginia to works of fiction based in the reality of growing up Indigenous in North Carolina. Over 20% of the Appalachian population is nonwhite - including Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous folks, as well as many other races and ethnicities - and the region has become increasingly diverse since 2010. And yet, mainstream representations of the region almost always look the same: white.
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”
