Small towns are in crisis. To save them, it might take a "new ruralism" of community leadership, volunteerism, and ventures in the creative economy.
Can a "New Ruralism" help bring America's small towns out of their slump? Jared Green writes, "In many struggling small northeastern rural towns, the drug epidemic has ravaged communities already weakened by the loss of manufacturing jobs. But it's clear there are also many using 'creative economy' approaches to revitalize themselves."
That means focusing on the hyper-local level, both in terms of economic opportunities and social cohesion. "Small towns now part of this nascent movement seek to define themselves on their own terms, not just in relation to nearby cities."
Read the full story: New Ruralism: Solutions for Struggling Small Towns
Housing Scarcity in Rural America
With the growth of ‘Zoom towns’ and the sharply rising demand for small-town living, rural communities are facing pressure to maintain housing affordability for long-time residents and boost housing production.
Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
The Real Cost of Clean Water in One Kansas Town
Pretty Prairie has water with very high levels of nitrates, and lots of farmers that need to use nitrates if they want to keep the local economy going.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
This MA town is drowning in its own sewage — and residents like it that way
Susan Murcott, a waste water expert, said if Carlisle didn't address their leaking sewage, the problem could turn “deadly.”
Iowa taxpayers are paying thousands to clean manure out of their water
While the Clean Water Act makes states responsible for regulating factory farms that discharge pollutants, Iowa has turned a blind eye to the polluting farms.
Amtrak cuts ribbon on Seattle Airo maintenance facility
The $250 million, nearly 100,000-square-foot building can house an entire Cascades Airo trainset.
To power data centers, Google seeks autonomous control of thousands of homes’ electricity
The tech company has signed a deal to indirectly pay Mid-Atlantic residents to reduce their power demand when the grid is strained.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello