Digital Economies
4 Reasons Rural Coworking Spaces Matter
To learn more about how rural coworking spaces make an impact, we spoke with Kate Schwarzler, founder of Indy Commons, a coworking space and business hub in Independence, OR—one of our Rural Innovation Network Communities.
Read MoreInclusive Ecosystems from the Start
Changing the culture and outcomes of tech and entrepreneurship at the scale needed for social justice will require a comprehensive effort that spans governments, businesses, philanthropists, investors, nonprofits, and community leaders.
Read MoreThe Rural Edge: Wilson, North Carolina
At CORI, we have a saying: once you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community. America’s small towns are diverse and dynamic, and through our work with our Rural Innovation Network, we have the privilege of working in depth with 18 communities building digital economy ecosystems. To highlight these incredible places, Siegel Family…
Read MoreA Rural Community Of Practice
At the Center On Rural Innovation, we’re committed to connecting rural leaders with the tools, resources, and knowledge needed to fully tap into their town’s potential. One powerful way we do this is through our Rural Innovation Network (RIN)—a growing consortium of rural change agents building digital economy ecosystems in the places they call home.
Read MoreThe Future Is Digital
Earlier this year, we at the Center On Rural Innovation (CORI) partnered with Udacity to launch the Future Is Digital Challenge, an initiative focused on training rural Americans interested in developing new skills to help them participate in the nation’s growing digital economy.
Read MoreThe Rural Edge: Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Innovation and tech entrepreneurship can happen anywhere—and Cape Girardeau is proof that rural places are part of that equation.
Read MoreZoom Towns are not the answer
But it’s dangerous to think that Zoom Towns on their own will actually create inclusive and sustainable rural economies. Economic success is not just an infusion of money and people parachuting in. An influx of wealthy residents without a connection to their new communities could reify social inequalities, creating the same types of economic segregation too often seen in the current metro tech hubs.
Read MoreA look back on two years of the Rural Innovation Initiative
Since its launch in 2019, we’ve onboarded 2 cohorts of the Rural Innovation Initiative, with a total of 19 participants. We are deeply proud of the impact it has had on small towns all across the country, and our experience has shown that when rural communities have access to the expertise of an outside organization with national resources like CORI and RISI, they can transform ideas into actionable local benefits.
Read MoreCORI’s Employment Impact Update: June 2020
Each month in our employment impact update, we share key findings, trends, detailed maps and analysis based on BLS monthly employment data to help you understand what’s happening to rural economies.
Read MoreReport: Rural Coworking in the Time of COVID-19
COVID-19 has upended the once simple idea of sharing space with others. As the pandemic has spread and shutdowns have been needed to stem the health crisis, many industries have been hit hard across rural America. One of those industries is the rural coworking space.
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