As urban economies continue their upward trajectory, residents of counties once considered rural are commuting to cities. This has had both negative and positive effects on the communities in question.
For much of the past century, Hamilton Lombard writes, sprawl drove metropolitan growth. Now it's different. "[...] A major reason for this geographic growth today is that as the urban cores of metropolitan areas have grown larger, they have attracted a rising number of commuters from nearby rural counties, in many cases causing the rural counties to become part of their metropolitan area."
Much has been made of metropolitan corridors comprising urban centers as well as their suburbs and exurbs, which often blend together to form a vast, sprawled-out regional population center. When rural counties join these metro areas, they're often experiencing in-county job losses as many residents stay put and endure longer commutes.
This isn't always a uniformly bad thing. "The shift away from an economy centered on agriculture and manufacturing has been difficult for many communities, but it also has had its benefits. Farming is an unreliable business, dependent on weather and volatile commodity prices. Factories have not always provided stable jobs either."
Highlighting the continued importance of long-distance transportation infrastructure, formerly rural areas can benefit from connections to a wider metropolis. "Though becoming part of a metropolitan area has not prevented job losses in most of these counties, being connected with a larger, more diversified metropolitan economy has typically meant more economic stability than in the past."
FULL STORY: The metropolitanization of rural America
COVID and the Urban-Rural Divide
Researchers at the University of Iowa analyzed COVID-19 death data in rural and metropolitan counties and found that rural Americans have died at twice the rate as those living in more urbanized counties. The health divide will only widen.
Poor Suburbs Struggle with Job Sprawl
Although unemployment has declined, according to this report commutes are getting longer. "Job sprawl" often plagues minority and poor areas where housing is more affordable.
'Jobs Sprawl' Plagues Cleveland Commutes
Research from Brookings puts Cleveland in last place for improving access to jobs from 2000 through 2012. And jobs sprawl is up throughout the rest of the country as well.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie