We study, document, and champion the community-scaled economies that make places resilient — from municipal broadband to worker-owned cooperatives to regenerative food systems.
Our research is grounded in the places we serve. We publish practical tools, convene practitioners, and translate complex policy into action that any community can take on.
From rural electric co-ops to urban waste systems, from neighborhood broadband to regional food hubs, our work spans the systems that shape daily life.
We don't sell solutions — we help communities discover their own. Our role is to make the invisible architecture of local economies visible, and to give local leaders the language, data, and networks they need to change it.
Helping communities own their power — literally. From municipal utilities to community solar and rural electric co-op reform.
Advocating for the Main Street economies that anchor neighborhoods and resist the pull of monopoly consolidation.
Building zero-waste cities where discarded materials become the raw material of the next local economy.
Municipal networks, cooperative fiber, and public infrastructure that closes the digital divide for good.
Municipal broadband networks have cut household internet bills by 40–60% in cities that built them, while delivering faster speeds and better service.
Community-owned energy projects have returned hundreds of millions of dollars to ratepayers in the form of lower bills and local dividends.
Zero-waste programs have created thousands of jobs — often more than the landfills they replace — while cutting methane emissions that drive climate change.
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