Rural Communities

Issues

Rural Communities

Although much prior community work has been conducted in urban and suburban areas, Community Psychologists actively study and practice in areas with low population density. Rural communities comprise a number of geographic features including farmland, prairies, tropical areas, and wetlands. We believe that people within communities should be able to define themselves and thus our labeling of “rural” reflects that of our contributors and the people from the communities with which they work.

The Power of Policy: Business Closures in Rural Communities

Posted in: Poverty and Socioeconomic Status, Rural Communities | Tags:
Published in:
Twenty percent of the population, or one out of five people, live in rural USA, where the rural population holds 12.4 percent of the manufacturing jobs. Deciding what to do with closed plants or manufacturers is an environmental issue and a public health issue. Outside of the immediate loss of jobs, the impact of closures […]

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Photograph of the author

Blog: My Upcoming Plans to Decentralize Colonialism and Provide Space for Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Environment, Rural Communities
Published in:
White cultural complexes can be embedded in non-profit organizations. “Sustainable” practices are often rooted in Indigenous knowledge. Indigenous cultures and their history of land-care need to be honored.

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photograph of authors

Casey’s General Store and the Nutrition of Rural Illinois

Posted in: Rural Communities
Published in:
Rural areas can be both food deserts and food swamps, A deficiency in the number of food resources (e.g., grocery stores) and saturation of unhealthy food options (e.g., fast-food restaurants and convenience stores) has led to an increase in obesity rates in rural communities. People who have less access to convenience stores have been shown […]

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Photograph of Jessica Carson

COVID-19 Pandemic Arrives Unevenly in Rural America

Posted in: Rural Communities
The COVID-19 pandemic was initially slow to arrive in rural counties across the United States. Yet risks of exposure, patterns of spread, and outcomes of infection are uneven and intersect with existing inequalities.

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Picture Representation of Definition of Rural

“Rural is…”Toward a Working Definition

Posted in: Rural Communities
Published in:
What is rural? We explore this topic with an overview of commonly used definitions, commentary on their gaps, and thoughts about alternative ways to classify “rural communities.”

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Photograph of rural Australia

Residential Mobility as a Community Organizing Concern in Rural Australia

Posted in: Public Policy, Rural Communities
Published in:
Lack of attention to the contexts for mobility has led to contradictions in public discourse. Over-generalization risks losing the necessary complexity to develop appropriate policy.

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Photograph of Project Participants

Hands Across the Hills

Posted in: Coalition Building, Inspiration, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status, Rural Communities
The United States feels divided by race, social class, and political ideologies. Hands Across the Hills seeks to increase personal connections and promote greater understanding.

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Making Higher Education More Accessible in Rural Hawai’i

Posted in: Coalition Building, Education, Rural Communities | Tags:
Education Centers in rural communities can serve a vital role as “access points” to higher education.

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The Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership

Posted in: Coalition Building, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status, Rural Communities, Sense of Community | Tags:
The Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership (SEREP) is an interdisciplinary, interinstitutional, community-university collaborative. The long-term goal is to build on the organically grown local equine ecosystem to bring community, economic, and workforce development to a rural region in the southeastern United States.

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