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18 Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities <br />Renovating existing buildings can help preserve a community's historic assets, as these before and after photos of the James Dean <br />House in Rosemont, New Jersey, illustrate. <br />help preserve historic infrastructure, such as bridges, <br />that may have historic or economic development <br />value. <br />Historic Preservation and the Main Street <br />Four-Point Approach® <br />Communities can revitalize older, traditional business <br />districts by encouraging historic preservation. Well - <br />preserved private homes, examples of rural traditions <br />such as barns, or important downtown structures <br />enable both residents and visitors to feel a sense of <br />place. Federal and state tax credit programs facilitate <br />diverse preservation efforts. The Main Street Four - <br />Point Approach of the National Trust for Historic <br />El Dorado, Arkansas, won the Great American Main Street <br />Award in 2009. Investing in preserving and revitalizing the <br />downtown has created jobs and drawn tourists as well as <br />residents. <br />Preservation provides a useful framework for redevel- <br />opment efforts, specifically in older downtowns .32 This <br />approach focuses on strategically combining historic <br />preservation efforts with marketing the businesses in <br />historic downtown areas as a way to generate addi- <br />tional economic investment. The strategy embraces <br />distinctive architecture, fosters a pedestrian - friendly <br />environment, promotes local business ownership, <br />and creates a sense of community. El Dorado, Arkan- <br />sas, winner of the 2009 Great American Main Street <br />Award, found that the Main Street approach created <br />jobs, resulted in more locally owned small businesses, <br />drew residents from throughout the county as well <br />as tourists to the revitalized downtown, and gave the <br />community a renewed sense of place .33 <br />Parks and natural resource areas as destinations <br />Parks and other natural resource areas, such as <br />wildlife refuges and conservation areas, have many <br />economic, ecological, and social benefits. Parks <br />improve residents' physical and psychological health, <br />strengthen communities, and make neighborhoods <br />more attractive and vibrant places to live, work, and <br />play. They increase citizens' frequency of exercise and <br />can increase neighboring property values. Investing in <br />existing parks can make them destinations, drawing <br />residents and visitors alike to help the towns around <br />them thrive. Many rural communities have local or <br />state parks that can serve as community assets. Other <br />rural communities serve as gateways to larger natural <br />resource amenities, such as National Parks or National <br />Forests. Whether a local, downtown park or a national <br />treasure, parks are destinations that should be high- <br />lighted and built upon. The Finger Lakes region in <br />J <br />E <br />oK <br />a <br />0 <br />E <br />0 <br />u <br />0 <br />'o <br />n <br />107 <br />