
About

Towns, villages, and neighborhoods in Alabama, and across America, face an uncertain future — a future which is increasingly threatened by large scale change to economies, relocations by the population, telecommunication needs, housing shortages, public health challenges, a changing environment, the distribution of goods, and changes in land policy.
In the face of these forces, communities struggle to maintain their vitality and even their sense of identity. Whether the threat is sudden growth or stagnation, planning and design decisions can often make the difference between survival and decay, between healthy prosperity and decline. Despite the crucial importance of planning and design, small communities rarely have good access to professional assistance and information on the application of planning and design to their communities’ issues.
The Your Town Alabama program is a first step in meeting these needs. The workshop format is an intensive engagement of citizen leaders and professionals. Our time together is intended to be highly participatory with lectures, case study presentations, and interactive group problem solving, including work on realistic issues in a hypothetical small town. The goal is to provide advanced leadership skills supported by information and planning tools that can be taken home to all corners of our state and applied to the process of designing our future!

The decisions
we make today
directly determine
the legacy we
leave tomorrow.



The decisions
we make today
directly determine
the legacy we
leave tomorrow.


There are two types of change, planned and unplanned. Since it’s inevitable, wouldn’t you rather have the former?


There are two types of change, planned and unplanned. Since it’s inevitable, wouldn’t you rather have the former?

Our Mission
Your Town Alabama inspires and educates Alabamians to use asset-based design for setting and achieving community goals.

Your Town Alabama
Board
Officers
Matt Leavell, AIA LEED AP, Chairman
The Univ. of AL Center for Economic Development
Ben Wieseman, Vice-Chairman
PLACE ASSOCIATES
Katie Conner, Secretary / Treasurer
AL Association of RC&D Councils, Inc.
Board
Brandon Bias
Goodwyn Mills & Cawood
Jim Byard, Jr.
Byard and Associates, Inc.
Jason Fondren
KPS Group, Inc.
Drew Gilbert
Tallulah Brewing Co.
Mary Helmer
Main Street Alabama
Mary Jackson
Alabama League of Municipalities
Debra Love
E3 Solutions
Lea Ann Macknally, (ExCom)
Macknally Land Design
Larry Mason
Community Member
Justin Miller
Auburn University, School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture
Collier Neeley (ExCom)
Landmarks Foundation of montgomery
Nigel Roberts
Jefferson County
Phil Segraves
Mayor, City of Guin
Jenny Brown Short
Community Member
Rip Weaver
Aldridge Gardens
Nathan Willingham, AICP (Immediate Past Chair)
Rural Innovation Strategies
Emeritus
Paul Kennedy
Walker Area Community Foundation
Mary Shell
Alabama Communities of Excellence
Randy Shoults
Artist