What We Do
WE'VE EVOLVED FROM OUR VENTURE AS THE STORY OF PLACE INSTITUTE (SOPI) TO ROOTS TO CHANGE (R2C). WE WORK WITHIN COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONALLY.
Through our innovative Roots Approach, we help people and their communities tap into the unique intelligence of place to inspire powerful regenerative solutions to the pressing social, education, environmental, and economic issues facing our local and global world today. Based on the unique context of each place and project, we work co-creatively with our clients through various phases of its development, from strategic planning and design on through to implementation and evaluation.
PLACE
SOURCED
Just like trees, healthy communities grow from their roots. Rather than importing one-size fits-all solutions, we believe that successful change processes grow from the uniqueness of place to inspire truly creative and resourceful solutions. R2C makes sure to ground each project within a deep understanding of place.
SYSTEMIC
DEVELOPMENTAL
REGENERATIVE
our PLATFORMS
R2C CURRENTLY WORKS THROUGH THREE PRIMARY SERVICE PLATFORMS BASED ON THE DIFFERENTIATED NEEDS AND GOALS OF OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND CLIENTS. THEY ARE:
PROGRAMS+CONSULTING
Urban [Re]generation Lab
A place-based platform, community think tank and doers lab. Multigenerational programs in three areas: civics, planning, and design. Based on a living systems approach, communities design civic and social tools from the urban data and stories found within place.
The In Place Network initiative is working to foster the emergence of an impact investing ecosystem for growing whole community wealth. One critical element of that ecosystem will be to ensure adequate sources of financial capital, and mechanisms for connecting investors with investees.
Competency 2 Community - We design competency-based programs that bring graduates into the community that have demonstrated the required skills through real-life projects. We start with the needs of the community and then design backwards to provide effective scaffolding for students to successfully achieve the competencies needed to fulfill the community need.
PLACEMAKING+EDUCATION
our approach
R2C’s PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS VARY IN SIZE, SCOPE, DURATION, AND PURPOSE BASED ON THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF OUR CLIENTS AND COMMUNITIES. HOWEVER, INTEGRAL TO EVERY R2C PROJECT ARE FOUR KEY ELEMENTS THAT BRAND OUR WORK:
We believe that to effectively grow the health of our community systems (be it for education, land-use development, environmental stewardship, arts and cultural or economic development), an integrative systems approach is required. R2C works co-creatively with stakeholders and clients to ensure the development of strategically systemic solutions.
Strategies and designs, no matter how brilliant and thought-out, are only as successful as the people who implement them. Critical to every R2C project, therefore, is the integrative design of developmental learning processes to help stakeholders grow in-house capacity for systems-level thinking, stewardship and action.
Long-term success requires more than just good strategy and capability, it also requires the development of regenerative infrastructure and support systems to help sustain and evolve ongoing projects, programs, and communities over time. R2C therefore works with stakeholders and clients to assess, design and implement critical infrastructure and support systems in order to ensure the long-term vitality, viability, and evolution of a project within its community.