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August 1,
2010: EXCITING NEWS: Revitalization Institute will soon offer the world's first certification for community and regional revitalization professionals. Since 2004, Revitalization Institute (RI) has been building an international academic network dedicated to research and curriculum development related to community revitalization and natural resource restoration. RI is now partnering with several of these universities to create the first certification program for revitalization professionals. Revitalization Institute will become the world's certifying body for comprehensive revitalization professionals. By "comprehensive revitalization", we mean economic growth based on the integrated renewal of the natural, built, and socioeconomic environments, in a way that effectively engages all stakeholders. Our university partners are currently developing continuing education courses for working professionals, as well as academic courses for students. These will, for the first time, establish rigorous practices related to bringing places back to life. Currently, the responsibility of designing, funding, and implementing regeneration programs falls to whoever is willing to take on the task, with predictably mixed results. Revitalization is too important to remain such an ad hoc activity. The folks tasked with renewal programs often have credentials in architecture, engineering, planning, or economic development. This gives them expertise in certain types of activities and projects that can contribute to revitalization. But they seldom have training in the underlying theory and principles of revitalization. We define "revitalization" as growing urban or rural economies in a way that increases their quality of life and their environmental health. This is as opposed to sprawl and resource extraction-based economic growth that tends to decrease quality of life and environmental health in the long run. A new category of professionals will soon be emerging, whose job is to plan and implement ongoing revitalization programs. Once the academic programs are established, Revitalization Institute will become their professional association, and will provide appropriate levels of certification. That way, when a city wishes to hire a "Chief Revitalization Officer" or an environmental NGO wishes to appoint a "Director of Restoration" or a company wishes to create a "VP of Redevelopment & Regeneration", they will have criteria with which to make their hiring decisions. The new certification is called a Certified Revitalization Specialist (CReS). The certification logo appears below. Watch this page for news as this program develops. If your college or university wishes to get involved in related research, continuing education, or academic coursework, please email Storm Cunningham at storm@revitalization.org, or call him at 202-684-6815 (Washington, DC). |
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