Applying the community capitals framework to the craft heritage trails of western North Carolina

ABSTRACT

HandMade in America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of craft heritage, identified tourism as an economic development strategy for their service area, the North Carolina Appalachian Mountains. In 1996, HandMade released a guidebook, The Craft Heritage Trails of Western North Carolina, which was designed to draw visitors to rural mountain communities where they could discover artists among the surroundings where they draw inspiration. The book was updated in two subsequent additions, and a spin-off book Farms, Gardens, and Countryside Trails was released in 2002. This study utilizes the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) to illustrate how HandMade’s tourism strategy of trail development positively impacted multiple forms of community capital in rural communities. The CCF is a holistic system encompassing several forms of capital: natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built. The results demonstrate the ripple effect of impacts of HandMade’s heritage trail development efforts.