After Tornadoes, Towns Plan for the Future

Dealing with the scars left by past tornadoes, towns like Greensburg, Kansas, have involved the community in planning efforts to rebuild and reimagine the future.

1 minute read

February 3, 2014, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Mitch Smith tells the story of Greensburg, Kansas, which lost 95 percent of its buildings in a 2007 tornado. The town’s post-storm planning process offers lessons for Illinois towns like Wahsington and Gifford, struck by similarly tragic storms in November 2013.

“About 850 people live in Greensburg today, Dixson estimates, not even two-thirds of the pre-storm total,” reports Smith. “But today's Greensburg is very much a product of what its people imagined in the months after the storm…”

Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixson stresses the importance of a community-based planning process in deciding what the future looks like after a destructive tornado. He’s quoted in the story as follows: “Plan. Plan. Plan. And do it as a community…Know what you are as a community. Know what your assets are. There's no boilerplate plan, but it has to be what the community thinks.”

The result of Greensburg’s plan, according to Smith, was “an eco-friendly town that would attract visitors and, despite demographic trends that have long seen rural Americans fleeing to urban centers, bring jobs and workers back to town.” Greensburg's environmentally conscious rebuilding plans attracted positive media attention, but also provides some cautionary examples of how hard the process of recovery will be.

Friday, January 31, 2014 in Chicago Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight