Check back to this page frequently as ARDN collects and shares links to toolkits that can help you and your community with rural development. Do you know of a useful kit? Email Melissa with the information.

Beyond Economic Survival: 97 Ways Small Communities Can Thrive

The Centre for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL), an organization that aims to strengthen communities by helping them become more business-friendly, culturally-vibrant, and sustainable through leadership development and enhanced community involvement created this realistic, practical resource for communities.

CO-INQUIRY TOOLKIT - Community-university participatory research partnerships: co-inquiry and related approaches

’Co-inquiry’, in a very broad sense, refers to cooperation in research between a range of participants from different backgrounds. The key feature of this approach is the value given to everyone’s experience, expertise and full participation, with an emphasis on active partnership.

Community Growth Toolkit

The purpose of this tool kit is to engage citizens and help them determine what their community will look like in the future. It is also a guide that will help citizens develop a strategy for community growth.

Community Toolkit - Finding Ways: A Response in Support of Highschool Completion

The High School Completion Symposium on September 24-25, 2006, started a province-wide discussion about how we can all play an important role in improving high school completion rates. We encourage communities across the province to build on the momentum generated at the symposium by hosting similar discussions in their area.

GeoDiscover Alberta

GeoDiscover Alberta provides one clear online access point to different types of maps, services and geographic information related to the province of Alberta.Examples of the type of maps and geographic information you can find using this website include: rivers and streams, roads and highways, cities and towns, imagery, land use, and townships, ranges, and legal subdivisions.

Inventory of Rural Community Economic Development Tools and Guides in Alberta and British Columbia

A goal shared by the Alberta and British Columbia governments is to provide rural communities and regions with information, tools and services that will assist them to become more competitive. In this document communities can choose the most appropriate tool or guide for their situation as they strive to be healthy and resilient communities.

Renewable Energy Toolkit (RET)

The RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software is a unique decision support tool developed with the contribution of numerous experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of Renewable-energy and Energy-efficient Technologies (RETs). The software (available in multiple languages) also includes product, project, hydrology and climate databases, a detailed user manual, and a case study based college/university-level training course, including an engineering e-textbook.

Sustainable Communities Toolkit

This tool kit aims to equip owners of public sector buildings with the information they need to address climate issues and infrastructure challenges through green building policies and programs. The 248-page toolkit offers up-to-date information on community planning, natural environment, transportation, buildings, infrastructure, and energy.