Rural America
New Book Sheds Light on Rural Governance
Learn more about a new book that provides some overdue attention to public governance and administration in small towns and rural communities.
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.
Report: Rural Communities Urgently Need Safer Transportation
Despite the reputation of rural America as "drive-through country," many residents depend on walking and transit to get around.
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.
Vaccination Disparities Between Urban and Rural America
The pandemic has largely been measured by case incidence, down significantly in recent weeks in most states. A new metric, the vaccination rate, may determine where the virus strikes next. The urban-rural divide is a major factor, says the CDC.
3 Myths About Rural America and How to Debunk Them
The effort to debunk common myths about rural America in academia and the news media continues.
Pandemic's New Phase: Spreading to Rural and Urban Areas Alike
A top public health expert in the Trump administration warned that the U.S. is in a "new phase" of the pandemic, different from March and April when the coronavirus largely affected a few big cities. Now urban and rural areas alike are vulnerable.
Second Wave or Second Peak?
The terminology of the coronavirus pandemic isn't applied consistently, particularly when dealing with areas seeing a resurgence of infection after states have relaxed social distancing restrictions. The World Health Organization added some clarity.
Coronavirus Shuts Down Food Processing Plant as President Pushes Reopening Economy
As President Donald Trump eyes May 1 for "opening up states," he might want to look at states that never shut down businesses to understand his public health advisor's warning that "the virus makes the timeline."
Will the Coronavirus Spare Rural America?
Many counties throughout the nation have recorded no deaths from COVID-19. A perception exists that population density is responsible for the massive death toll in New York and New Jersey and that exurban and rural counties may be spared.
Rural America's Sluggish Recovery
A new report the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service details the ways in which rural America has lagged behind metropolitan areas since the Great Recession.
On Rural America's Selective Housing Shortage
Counter to the usual narrative of population decline, some rural areas stand in serious need of housing.
Mourning the Loss of the Dairy Queen in Rural Texas
As populations shrink, small towns are losing an important place to get together,,
Most Rural Counties Losing Population
Experts expect the 2020 Census to reveal some potentially startling trends of population decline in rural parts of the country.
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.
Communities Debate Potential Mine Near Mt. St. Helens
Fishermen, former loggers, and conservationists are just some of the groups with a stake in whether a mining operation takes root in Washington state.
Craft Beer and Small Towns—A Perfect Pairing
NPR has identified a cultural phenomenon in rural America: craft beer is economic development—and a draw for young people.
Can a 'New Ruralism' Save Small Towns?
Small towns are in crisis. To save them, it might take a "new ruralism" of community leadership, volunteerism, and ventures in the creative economy.
Close to a Half Million Americans Lack Proper Plumbing
Nearly 500,000 people in the rural parts of the United States cannot afford modern plumbing.
Metropolitan Corridors Absorb Rural Counties
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.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
