John C. Shepard, AICP
@jcshepard.com
Trusted source for actionable insights and visionary perspectives on community planning, economic development, & rural resilience.
VC-Communications at APA Small Town & Rural Planning Division.
VC-Communications at APA Small Town & Rural Planning Division.
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Rural hospitals were already short-staffed. Then came Trump's H-1B visa fee. Plus: Panera struggles amid fast-casual slump, Home Depot earnings disappoint, and bitcoin sags.
Today on Marketplace.
Today on Marketplace.
Rural hospitals were already short-staffed. Then came Trump's H-1B visa fee
But first: Panera struggles amid fast-casual slump, Home Depot earnings disappoint, and bitcoin sags.
mktplc.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Rural hospitals were already short-staffed. Then came Trump's H-1B visa fee. Plus: Panera struggles amid fast-casual slump, Home Depot earnings disappoint, and bitcoin sags.
Today on Marketplace.
Today on Marketplace.
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
This is how a city becomes more attractive. An example for many. Well done!
@jcshepard.bsky.social @jcshepard.com
@jcshepard.bsky.social @jcshepard.com
Avant / Après Rue Michel-Chasles dans le 12ème arrondissement de Paris. Deux changements récents typiques de Paris en un : végétalisation à la place des places de stationnement + création d'une voie de bus.
November 18, 2025 at 7:22 PM
This is how a city becomes more attractive. An example for many. Well done!
@jcshepard.bsky.social @jcshepard.com
@jcshepard.bsky.social @jcshepard.com
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
We love to see good news about #solarpower & #agricutlure from the good folks at @ieefa-northamerica.bsky.social !
www.wxpr.org/food-and-agr... #renewables #solarenergy
www.wxpr.org/food-and-agr... #renewables #solarenergy
Solar meets soil: Report says agrivoltaics could redefine rural prosperity
A new report shows how a developing system called Agrivoltaics has the potential to offer what supporters call a much needed economic option for Wisconsin farmers, while redefining solar development a...
www.wxpr.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:24 PM
We love to see good news about #solarpower & #agricutlure from the good folks at @ieefa-northamerica.bsky.social !
www.wxpr.org/food-and-agr... #renewables #solarenergy
www.wxpr.org/food-and-agr... #renewables #solarenergy
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
The demand for geography and GIS skills has never been greater, and the intellectual approaches and conceptual tools of the discipline are more relevant than ever. Now, community college #geography programs are growing fast and changing the landscape of geography #education: buff.ly/GLo0tWP #GeoWeek
Community Colleges Are Changing the Landscape of Geography Education | ArcNews | Fall 2021
While the relevance of geography is being challenged at the university level, the growth of the field at community colleges is promising.
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 5:03 PM
The demand for geography and GIS skills has never been greater, and the intellectual approaches and conceptual tools of the discipline are more relevant than ever. Now, community college #geography programs are growing fast and changing the landscape of geography #education: buff.ly/GLo0tWP #GeoWeek
What do we do with the big old school in the middle of town when the school board moves all the students out to the middle of a corn field on the edge of town?
What We Can Do With An Old School
medium.com/@jcshepard.a...
#historicpreservation #econdev #downtowndevelopment #heritagetourism #SoDak
What We Can Do With An Old School
medium.com/@jcshepard.a...
#historicpreservation #econdev #downtowndevelopment #heritagetourism #SoDak
What We Can Do With An Old School
The Washington Pavilion is one example of what you can do with your old school.
medium.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
What do we do with the big old school in the middle of town when the school board moves all the students out to the middle of a corn field on the edge of town?
What We Can Do With An Old School
medium.com/@jcshepard.a...
#historicpreservation #econdev #downtowndevelopment #heritagetourism #SoDak
What We Can Do With An Old School
medium.com/@jcshepard.a...
#historicpreservation #econdev #downtowndevelopment #heritagetourism #SoDak
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Solar companies have figured out how to mix sheep grazing and power production. This company is about to make a push to do it with cows, with huge growth potential.
Can Cows and Solar Power Coexist? We’re About to Find Out
This story was originally published by Inside Climate News. It is unusual to have a utility-scale solar array in Kentucky, and even more unusual that the grounds crew here is a live-in flock of more than a thousand sheep. On a recent afternoon, the sheep lounged beneath the shade created by solar panels, supervised by three dogs: Honey, Junior and Roxy.
dailyyonder.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Solar companies have figured out how to mix sheep grazing and power production. This company is about to make a push to do it with cows, with huge growth potential.
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
❓How can Europe’s regions respond to demographic changes with smarter, evidence-based policies?
🗨️Join @premiumeu.bsky.social for "The #Future of #Rural Europe: Making #migration work for #regions in decline" on 10 March 2026 in Brussels to share views.
🔗 nordregio.ungapped.io/Events/a7ccc...
🗨️Join @premiumeu.bsky.social for "The #Future of #Rural Europe: Making #migration work for #regions in decline" on 10 March 2026 in Brussels to share views.
🔗 nordregio.ungapped.io/Events/a7ccc...
November 18, 2025 at 12:58 PM
❓How can Europe’s regions respond to demographic changes with smarter, evidence-based policies?
🗨️Join @premiumeu.bsky.social for "The #Future of #Rural Europe: Making #migration work for #regions in decline" on 10 March 2026 in Brussels to share views.
🔗 nordregio.ungapped.io/Events/a7ccc...
🗨️Join @premiumeu.bsky.social for "The #Future of #Rural Europe: Making #migration work for #regions in decline" on 10 March 2026 in Brussels to share views.
🔗 nordregio.ungapped.io/Events/a7ccc...
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Happy #GeographyAwarenessWeek!
🌎🗺️📍
Follow the @geographers.bsky.social this week for stories that show the world of possibilities in #geography and visit www.aag.org/geoweek to learn more and explore how you can participate! 🙌
#GeoWeek #GeoWeek2025 #Geographers #EarthScience #Geoscience #Earth
🌎🗺️📍
Follow the @geographers.bsky.social this week for stories that show the world of possibilities in #geography and visit www.aag.org/geoweek to learn more and explore how you can participate! 🙌
#GeoWeek #GeoWeek2025 #Geographers #EarthScience #Geoscience #Earth
November 18, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Happy #GeographyAwarenessWeek!
🌎🗺️📍
Follow the @geographers.bsky.social this week for stories that show the world of possibilities in #geography and visit www.aag.org/geoweek to learn more and explore how you can participate! 🙌
#GeoWeek #GeoWeek2025 #Geographers #EarthScience #Geoscience #Earth
🌎🗺️📍
Follow the @geographers.bsky.social this week for stories that show the world of possibilities in #geography and visit www.aag.org/geoweek to learn more and explore how you can participate! 🙌
#GeoWeek #GeoWeek2025 #Geographers #EarthScience #Geoscience #Earth
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
David Richardson, the acting administrator of FEMA, has resigned after six months, leading to more uncertainty at the already gutted agency.
David Richardson, Acting FEMA Administration, Resigns
David Richardson had been on the job for six months. FEMA employees had questioned his ability to lead the agency.
nyti.ms
November 18, 2025 at 3:40 AM
David Richardson, the acting administrator of FEMA, has resigned after six months, leading to more uncertainty at the already gutted agency.
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
New from @strongtowns.org: Small, precise zoning code text revisions that can unlock big opportunities for communities facing housing shortages. www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
How Small Zoning Code Changes Can Unlock Big Opportunity | Strong Towns
Small, precise zoning code text revisions can be a game-changer for communities facing housing shortages.
www.strongtowns.org
November 15, 2025 at 2:46 AM
New from @strongtowns.org: Small, precise zoning code text revisions that can unlock big opportunities for communities facing housing shortages. www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
It's the first day of #GeographyAwarenessWeek! How’re you celebrating? Let us know and check out over fifty events happening worldwide on our StoryMap. buff.ly/bKhXzko
#GeoWeek2025 #GeoSky #GISChat
#GeoWeek2025 #GeoSky #GISChat
November 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
It's the first day of #GeographyAwarenessWeek! How’re you celebrating? Let us know and check out over fifty events happening worldwide on our StoryMap. buff.ly/bKhXzko
#GeoWeek2025 #GeoSky #GISChat
#GeoWeek2025 #GeoSky #GISChat
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
FP columnist Jason Bordoff breaks down the assumptions and predictions behind the new World Energy Outlook.
Making Sense of the World Energy Outlook
The energy transition is not inevitable—but neither is business as usual.
foreignpolicy.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
FP columnist Jason Bordoff breaks down the assumptions and predictions behind the new World Energy Outlook.
Looks like data.census.gov coming back online. Welcome back US Census Bureau staff!!
Get your #Census data while you can.
Get your #Census data while you can.
November 17, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Looks like data.census.gov coming back online. Welcome back US Census Bureau staff!!
Get your #Census data while you can.
Get your #Census data while you can.
. @middlewestreview.bsky.social brought together an impressive variety of speakers in Sioux Falls this weekend. Watch for them on CSPAN!
Kurt Hackemer, Provost at University of South Dakota, opening The Lost Region Recovery Project conference on #Midwest Studies in Sioux Falls. Sponsored by Middle West Review & National Endowment for the Humanities.
November 16, 2025 at 6:45 PM
. @middlewestreview.bsky.social brought together an impressive variety of speakers in Sioux Falls this weekend. Watch for them on CSPAN!
Turning theory into action: Rural towns like Hinesburg, VT & Davis, CA show how smart zoning puts big ideas into practice—blending growth, farmland, and community into real results. Ideas on how local values shape better land use here: jcshepard.com/2025/11/rura... #RuralZoning #Praxis #SmartGrowth
November 16, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Turning theory into action: Rural towns like Hinesburg, VT & Davis, CA show how smart zoning puts big ideas into practice—blending growth, farmland, and community into real results. Ideas on how local values shape better land use here: jcshepard.com/2025/11/rura... #RuralZoning #Praxis #SmartGrowth
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Basically, if America were a fascist regime *right now*, you'd have to hope either for a civil war or a foreign invasion. All other avenues would have been snuffed out.
In *authoritarianism*, control is a lot more tenuous and pluralist alternatives still exist - even if the regime are thugs.
/14
In *authoritarianism*, control is a lot more tenuous and pluralist alternatives still exist - even if the regime are thugs.
/14
November 16, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Basically, if America were a fascist regime *right now*, you'd have to hope either for a civil war or a foreign invasion. All other avenues would have been snuffed out.
In *authoritarianism*, control is a lot more tenuous and pluralist alternatives still exist - even if the regime are thugs.
/14
In *authoritarianism*, control is a lot more tenuous and pluralist alternatives still exist - even if the regime are thugs.
/14
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
1. If America were fascist right now, I would not be posting here. Neither would you.
Instead, I - and you - would be trying to build networks of people *offline* who can support and protect each other, in the dark, rather than yelling at the president and his stooges in our own names. /2
Instead, I - and you - would be trying to build networks of people *offline* who can support and protect each other, in the dark, rather than yelling at the president and his stooges in our own names. /2
November 16, 2025 at 3:12 AM
1. If America were fascist right now, I would not be posting here. Neither would you.
Instead, I - and you - would be trying to build networks of people *offline* who can support and protect each other, in the dark, rather than yelling at the president and his stooges in our own names. /2
Instead, I - and you - would be trying to build networks of people *offline* who can support and protect each other, in the dark, rather than yelling at the president and his stooges in our own names. /2
Kurt Hackemer, Provost at University of South Dakota, opening The Lost Region Recovery Project conference on #Midwest Studies in Sioux Falls. Sponsored by Middle West Review & National Endowment for the Humanities.
November 15, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Kurt Hackemer, Provost at University of South Dakota, opening The Lost Region Recovery Project conference on #Midwest Studies in Sioux Falls. Sponsored by Middle West Review & National Endowment for the Humanities.
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
NEW: The Census Bureau says it's updating its calendar to reschedule data releases delayed by the federal government shutdown
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USC...
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USC...
![Release Schedule Updates
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced updates to its event calendar including 2025 economic indicators that were delayed due to the recent lapse in federal funding.
Revised dates include:
Construction Spending (Construction Put in Place)
August [originally scheduled for 10/1/25] 11/17/25
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders (Full Report)
August [originally scheduled for 10/2/25] 11/18/25
International Trade in Goods & Services (FT900)
August [originally scheduled for 10/7/25] 11/19/25
The Census Bureau will continue updating its event calendar and provide information as soon as it becomes available.
For more information on economic indicators, visit our Economic Briefing Room.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:eijqdygh72wuei7faamrclpc/bafkreib5rnzklmnxgwtpxewoxlnexqoomrpe3ukxuzfcveiolvunvmfpm4@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 9:35 PM
NEW: The Census Bureau says it's updating its calendar to reschedule data releases delayed by the federal government shutdown
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USC...
content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USC...
Procedure matters in land use: zoning rules protect every resident and developer equally. Laramie County, WY, denied a 170-turbine wind project. The Developer is challenging the denial in court, asserting it met all #zoning requirements.
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/10/c...
#wind #energy #renewables
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/10/c...
#wind #energy #renewables
Company Asks Judge To Review Denial Of Wind Project 3 Times The Size Of Cheyenne
Energy giant Repsol filed a court motion Friday asking a judge to review a decision by the Laramie County Commission to deny its proposed wind farm…
cowboystatedaily.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Procedure matters in land use: zoning rules protect every resident and developer equally. Laramie County, WY, denied a 170-turbine wind project. The Developer is challenging the denial in court, asserting it met all #zoning requirements.
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/10/c...
#wind #energy #renewables
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/10/c...
#wind #energy #renewables
"One of the best-preserved forts of the Northern Plains and a prime example of the small prairie fort is Fort Hartsuff on the eastern edge of the #Nebraska Sand Hills."
-Jeff Barnes, Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars (New Edition, 2024)
-Jeff Barnes, Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars (New Edition, 2024)
November 14, 2025 at 4:53 PM
"One of the best-preserved forts of the Northern Plains and a prime example of the small prairie fort is Fort Hartsuff on the eastern edge of the #Nebraska Sand Hills."
-Jeff Barnes, Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars (New Edition, 2024)
-Jeff Barnes, Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars (New Edition, 2024)
Lost Region Recovery Project Conference
November 15, 2025
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Innovative approaches to Midwestern #history, #culture, and #identity.
uimiddle.wordpress.com/lost-region-...
#Midwest
November 15, 2025
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Innovative approaches to Midwestern #history, #culture, and #identity.
uimiddle.wordpress.com/lost-region-...
#Midwest
November 13, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Lost Region Recovery Project Conference
November 15, 2025
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Innovative approaches to Midwestern #history, #culture, and #identity.
uimiddle.wordpress.com/lost-region-...
#Midwest
November 15, 2025
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Innovative approaches to Midwestern #history, #culture, and #identity.
uimiddle.wordpress.com/lost-region-...
#Midwest
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Want more expert advice from a homesteader who has experienced all the advantages and pitfalls of living off grid (and guided countless others through the journey)?
Pick up Ryan's LIVING OFF GRID today! Use code OFFGRID to save 20% at checkout! islandpress.org/off-grid
Pick up Ryan's LIVING OFF GRID today! Use code OFFGRID to save 20% at checkout! islandpress.org/off-grid
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Want more expert advice from a homesteader who has experienced all the advantages and pitfalls of living off grid (and guided countless others through the journey)?
Pick up Ryan's LIVING OFF GRID today! Use code OFFGRID to save 20% at checkout! islandpress.org/off-grid
Pick up Ryan's LIVING OFF GRID today! Use code OFFGRID to save 20% at checkout! islandpress.org/off-grid
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
October jobs data may never be released, White House says
October jobs data may never be released, White House says
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been unable to collect price data and employment information during the record-breaking government shutdown.
dlvr.it
November 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM
October jobs data may never be released, White House says
Reposted by John C. Shepard, AICP
Our #SimplyEverything sale means 50% off every title from Island Press, but only for a limited time. Use code HALF at checkout! Islandpress.org/half
November 12, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Our #SimplyEverything sale means 50% off every title from Island Press, but only for a limited time. Use code HALF at checkout! Islandpress.org/half