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AppalachA'ville: Engage, Sustain, Innovate

2019, March 14-17

UNC Asheville, Asheville, NC

The 42nd Annual ASA Conference will explore the theme “AppalachA’ville” by looking at the larger region of Appalachia through the experiences of our cities and financial centers. Special sessions of the conference invite participants to explore the tensions around maintaining sustainable urban development alongside rural culture and history. What does it mean to be a vibrant twenty-first century city in the traditionally rural region of Appalachia? Is there a difference between being an Appalachian city and a city in Appalachia? How can the region’s population centers grow to provide jobs for residents while preserving and protecting the environment? How does a city retain its regional cultural identity while marketing itself as a place that tourists want to visit and businesses want to set up shop? In short, how do we engage with communities to be more inclusive and supportive and at the same time sustain our cultural roots, our landscape, our values? How does a city or town innovate in ways that enhance the life of the region? Bring your interests, your curiosity, your expertise and experience to the conference and explore AppalachA’ville with us.

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