Educational Programs

As part of its mission, the CPN Institute is creating a series of workshops and educational programs for Tier 1 and Tier 2 community leaders to provide them with tools to improve the redevelopment process. A one-day program on feasibility studies has already been designed and presented in conjunction with the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. The topics presented included market context analysis, asset inventories, land use restrictions and permitting, environmental assessments, condition assessments, cost assessments, and financial feasibility. The program was well-attended and well-received. Future programs are being developed on project planning and delivery and on sustainable development.

The CPN Institute has a stated objective of producing at least three educational programs a year for its target audience. Each program will be presented by members of CPN on a volunteer basis. In addition to the presentations, each attendee will receive checklists and samples for future reference.

The current strategic goal for the CPN Institute is to reach as large a target audience as possible and still provide quality educational programming. The CPN Institute is studying various distance learning techniques to reach a larger audience. For now, however, the plan is to emphasize in-person training, which is perceived as the best way to learn the actual needs of the target audience and tailor the educational programs to those needs.