OU graduate student Meagan Vandecar.

Meagan Vandecar is a second year graduate student at the OU Urban Design Studio in Tulsa. Meagan has taken a special interest in how rural and small town development can proceed in a world where the economy is always changing and increasingly competitive. She has a passion for preserving the unique character of rural communities, including their histories, presents, and futures.

With the support of the Institute for Quality Communities, Meagan is working on a project titled Maintaining Small Town Character through Adaptive Rural Communities. Her work will serve as an experimental curriculum for the Small Town Studio, using her own town of Depew, Oklahoma as a pilot community for the project.

Meagan began presenting her project to community leaders in Depew in September. Her ideas have attracted considerable interest and enthusiasm from locals as well as Chamber of Commerce officials from neighboring Bristow.  This month she has started to hold  steering committee meetings to move the project forward.

To follow her progress and learn more about this exciting project, visit her blog at meaganvandecar.blogspot.com, or join her Facebook group by clicking here.