Blueprints for Successful Communities: Quitman, Georgia Asset Mapping

Deep in Southern Georgia, just 10 miles from the Florida state line, sits the historic and beautiful City of Quitman. In 2020, a few Quitman residents approached the Georgia Conservancy’s Sustainable Growth program with a request for modest technical assistance related to assessing the City’s quality of life and economic development potential. They wanted to know how they could utilize Quitman’s existing assets to put the city “on the map” for small-scale economic development, ultimately contributing to a vibrant, accessible city for all generations. 

Through historical research and conversations with public, private, and non-profit partners, Georgia Conservancy explored the city’s history, past planning efforts, cultural and socioeconomic contexts, and existing assets. The team tallied Quitman’s assets and sorted them into broad categories, ranging from historic buildings and aesthetic storefronts to civic programming and outdoor recreation opportunities. All of these were compiled into a series of maps with accompanying reference images and short narratives explaining their value. The project team also sorted recommendations from past plans into these categories in order to demonstrate how policy can support and leverage these assets for economic development. 

Recommendations from these exercises focused on how residents can organize and engage with official processes to inspire change in their community. Quitman has an assortment of downtown businesses that, if united, could become a force for change. The exercise recommended identifying local champions (i.e. business owners, elected leaders, or other passionate citizens) to lobby for funding that could preserve historic buildings and retrofit them for modern uses. 

The project culminated in a visual portfolio of maps and examples of Quitman’s assets, with encouraging instructions on how to be an agent of positive economic revitalization for the community. 

Click here to read our report: Assets, Opportunities, & Resources for the City of Quitman

PROJECT TEAM

Blueprints for Successful Communities is a part of the Georgia Conservancy's Sustainable Growth Program

To learn more about the Quitman Asset Mapping project, please contact Georgia Conservancy Senior Planner Nick Johnson at njohnson@gaconservancy.org