Roundup: September 15, 2023
A regular feature of our growing online journal, The Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to send suggestions for future collections to us here. And, more details on other opportunities to contribute to The Rural Review can be found here.
Recent Publications
Rural Sociology published Reacting to the Rural Burden: Understanding Opposition to Utility‐Scale Solar Development in Upstate New York, by Roberta S. Nilson and Richard C. Stedman (both Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University). The study explores the extent to which opposition to solar development in the region can be attributed to the perception that urban demands for new renewable energy fall unjustly on rural people and places to provide, continuing a legacy of exploitation in natural resource development.
In Group Identities, Value Orientations, and Public Preferences for Energy and Water Resource Management Policy Approaches in the American West, published by Society & Natural Resources, Muhammad Usman Amin Siddiqi and Erika Allen Wolters (both Public Policy, Oregon State University) surveyed 1,804 randomly selected respondents to determine whether and how social identities of citizens in the American West are associated with support for pro-environment policies.
H. Jason Combs (Geography, University of Nebraska Kearney) explores the role Missouri farmer David Rankin, heralded for his “rags to riches” story of hard work and determination, played in Nebraska’s Sandhills ranching opportunities in the 1870s and 80s. Published in Great Plains Quarterly, The Early Open-Range Cattle Ranching Industry in Nebraska: America’s Greatest Farmer Plays a Role uses Rankin’s story, though often romanticized in the great cattle drives and roundups of the time, as an example of the demise of open-range ranching in Nebraska.
Housing Studies published The Rural Housing Crisis: Analytical Dimensions and Emblematic Issues, turning from the more commonly considered affordable housing concerns in the urban housing crisis to one centered on sustainable and affordable housing options in rural settings. Researchers Stefan Kordel (Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Matthias Naumann (Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, Germany) argue for greater consideration of and more nuanced focus on housing issues in rural studies.
In From Crisis to Sustainability: The Politics of Knowledge Production on Rural Europe, published in Sociologia Ruralis, Seema Arora-Jonsson (Rural and Urban Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Ruth McAreavey (Sociology, Newcastle University) consider what it means to study places in “crisis” and how that affects the research done on the “rural.” As “sustainability” provides a new policy focus and framework for rural research, the authors highlight what the term’s implicit entanglement with concepts of the social, economic, and environmental might mean for the future of rural research.
News & Commentary
An article in the Post and Courier highlighted the changing demographics of the small town of Pageland, South Carolina. The growing Charlotte metro area is bringing urbanites in search of affordable, convenient housing to neighboring small towns in droves; if current trends continue, Pageland’s population of 2,500 people will double by the end of the decade. Locals are discovering that growth brings rural communities both opportunities and challenges.
Successful Farming published an article highlighting the bleak fact that death from a car accident is 2.5 times more likely to occur in rural areas than urban ones. The article urged parents to remind their teen drivers of the routine hazards—large machinery, gravel roads, wildlife, etc.—that they’re likely to encounter as they head back to school.
Two Los Angeles Times reporters and a photographer published a deep dive into the consequences of the closure of California’s Central Valley’s Madera Community Hospital. Relatedly, this Rural Health Information article highlighted a new home visitation program in Crawfordsville, Indiana, which helps provide care to residents experiencing at-risk pregnancies following the closing of the local hospital’s birthing unit.
A recently released report from the Appalachian Regional Commission noted that while both median income and number of residents with college degrees have increased in parts of Appalachia, other areas face persistent challenges in the form of continued poverty and an aging population. This Fox News article highlights one woman’s reflections on her own experience of feeling compelled to leave her rural Appalachian hometown for greater economic opportunity and security.
A New York Times story featured the continued efforts of Appalshop, a cultural center in Whitesburg, Kentucky, to recover and preserve Appalachia’s history after last year’s devastating flood left the center and the surrounding community underwater. In addition to celebrating the region’s culture through theater, music, photography, and literary programs, Appalshop’s archive serves as a vital repository of central Appalachian history.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the extension of Minnesota’s pilot program allowing paralegals to represent clients in housing and family law. Similar experiments to address the lack of access to legal advice and representation are also underway in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska. While these programs hope to provide aid for civil and family law cases—two areas where lack of representation is especially high—critics raise concerns about the implications for the legal profession.
Report for America announced that it is accepting applications until September 18, 2023 for news organizations interested in partnering to host emerging and experienced journalists in their newsrooms starting next summer. The national service program is making a special effort to get more rural newsrooms involved. Find out more here.
Recordings
KQED Forum addressed the rural teacher shortage facing California’s rural school districts as the new school begins. Mina Kim and guests Hailey Branson-Potts of the LA Times; Lisa Pruitt of UC Davis School of Law; Tom O’Malley, superintendent of Modoc Joint Unified School District; and Laurel Rulison, a teacher at Alturas Elementary, discuss problems rural school districts face, including retention, credentialing requirements, and state mandates, and share potential solutions. Listen here.
NPR’s Brian Mann reported on collaborative, community-based problem-solving efforts underway in upstate New York. Rather than adopting a highly polarizing public discourse typical across the country, conversations in public meetings concerning the state-managed Adirondack Park routinely bring together local residents, environmental activists, and government regulators with a focus on finding common ground and rebuilding trust. Hear more about this hopeful development here.
Events & Announcements
The South Dakota Law Review is holding a symposium on Rural Lawyers on September 21-22, 2023, in Vermillion, South Dakota. The symposium will explore an array of topics that are central to rural practice and delve into the vital role of rural attorneys in our legal system. Find more information, the schedule of events, and register (for free) for the symposium here.
Brushy Fork Institute’s Leadership Summit for rural communities will be held on November 2-3, 2023, on Berea College’s campus outside of Lexington, Kentucky. This year’s theme is “Leading Through Resilience: Imagining the Future” and will cover topics including regional opportunity, nonprofit funding strategies and leadership, and community development and inclusivity. More information here; visit here to register.
