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The
Center for Rural Design (CRD) is an intercollegiate center organized in
the summer of 1997 by the College of Architecture and Landscape
Architecture and the College of Agricultural, Food and
Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota. The objective of CRD is to
focus expertise in these two colleges, as well as other centers and
colleges within the University of Minnesota, on diverse physical, social,
and economic problems facing rural Minnesota.
How Minnesota deals with major changes in farming, small towns, and
the quality of rural life now will have direct impact on the preservation
and future development of rural Minnesota. The long-term economic
health of the state as a major global center is dependent on a holistic
and inclusive approach to rural issues. Working with University
faculty, graduate students, rural communities, and industry, the Center
for Rural Design offers such an integrative problem-solving approach
through research-based design projects that cut across disciplines and
interests to promote communication and learning in rural communities and
amongst policy-makers on possible design responses to complex rural land
issues.
CRD seeks opportunities to focus on areas of public concern such as:
Integrating change at the urban/rural edge
while preserving rural
character
Empowering rural communities to actively participate
in the decision-making process affecting land use
and
community well-being
Making room for new agricultural production and processing
technologies while ensuring the environmental
and economic health of the region
Filling an
educational gap by providing support and information
to citizens on rural
land issues and innovative strategies
for managing change
The Center is supported and partially funded on a recurring basis by the State Legislature
through the University's Agricultural Research and Outreach Initiative,
community-based sponsored research projects, and foundations. The Center is located in Coffey Hall on the
University of Minnesota's St. Paul Campus.
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Mission:
The mission of the Center for Rural Design is to work with people to preserve, improve, and
protect rural landscapes, cultures and communities through innovative
design strategies.
Vision: The vision of the Center for Rural Design is to reconnect people with the American
landscape by raising awareness of, and appreciation for, the value of
rural communities and environments.
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As the first of its kind in
the nation, the Center for Rural Design brings design as a problem-solving process to rural land
issues. Design is a methodology for integrating issues to resolve a
problem, and as an interdisciplinary effort, it can bring synergism to the
creative process.
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