The Decline of Small Communities

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Small Towns ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Declining Populations ◽  
Middle West ◽  
The Military

This chapter examines the decline of small communities in the Middle West. In 1980, 76 percent of all the incorporated towns and cities in the Middle West had fewer than 1,500 people. The region's nine states ranked first through ninth nationally (not counting Alaska) in having the highest proportion of small towns this size. These figures indicate that the Middle West was defined by its small communities. The chapter considers the changing size of communities in the Middle West, focusing on how small towns were being affected by and responding to stable or declining populations. It also explores three factors that influenced the trajectory of Middle Western towns: oil, agriculture, and the military. Finally, it discusses the efforts of residents of small communities to keep their towns as livable and attractive as possible.

Habits of Faith

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Social Role ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Religious Organizations ◽  
Religious Congregations ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Religious Buildings ◽  
Collective Narratives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Declining Populations

This chapter examines the social role of religious congregations in small towns. Although religious participation is somewhat higher in small towns than in larger communities, the differences are relatively small. The perception among residents that religion is important has more to do with the presence of religious buildings, along with the public activities of religious organizations, than with statistical measures of belief and practice. Religious organizations also serve significantly as carriers of collective narratives about caring behavior in the community, and they increasingly provide links between small towns and the wider world through mission trips as well as humanitarian and relief efforts. In small communities with declining populations, religious organizations are adapting in creative ways to meet the needs and interests of their constituents. The clustering of congregations, shared pastorates, mergers, and closing of churches are among the solutions that are being attempted.

Remaking the Heartland

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Great Depression ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Social Transformations ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Objective Observer ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
Changing Times ◽  
Middle West

For many Americans, the Middle West is a vast unknown. This book sets out to rectify this. It shows how the region has undergone extraordinary social transformations over the past half-century and proven itself surprisingly resilient in the face of such hardships as the Great Depression and the movement of residents to other parts of the country. It examines the heartland's reinvention throughout the decades and traces the social and economic factors that have helped it to survive and prosper. The book points to the critical strength of the region's social institutions established between 1870 and 1950—the market towns, farmsteads, one-room schoolhouses, townships, rural cooperatives, and manufacturing centers that have adapted with the changing times. It focuses on farmers' struggles to recover from the Great Depression well into the 1950s, the cultural redefinition and modernization of the region's image that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s, the growth of secondary and higher education, the decline of small towns, the redeployment of agribusiness, and the rapid expansion of edge cities. Drawing arguments from extensive interviews and evidence from the towns and counties of the Midwest, the book provides a unique perspective as both an objective observer and someone who grew up there. It offers an accessible look at the humble yet strong foundations that have allowed the region to endure undiminished.

How can Internet help develop small poorly-communicated communities?

2003 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-175
Author(s):  
Jaime Jiménez ◽  
Sergio Rafael Coria-Olguín
Keyword(s):  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
The State ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
E Mail

Internet and e-mail have proved to be instrumental for the development of individuals and communities, provided they are properly used. Is it possible to benefit small communities with limited telephone resources? A solution is proposed to provide Internet and additional services to small towns' inhabitants in such a manner that the service is both self-sustainable and economically accessible to the user. The solution takes into account the telephone infrastructure constraints, the limitations in terms of computer literacy of the population, and the need to keep the service at an affordable cost for the user. It has been successfully proven as a pilot project in a small town of the state of Veracruz, México.

scholarly journals Re-orientating the Experience of a Small Town

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katherine Hailstone
Keyword(s):  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Master Plan ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Declining Populations ◽  
The Town

<p>An experience by definition can imply that it leaves an impression. It can be how people experience our small towns that influence its viability and success. Small towns in Aotearoa face aging populations, growing social issues and tend to lack economic viability. Current statistics show population growth in our large cities and declining populations in our regions impacting the urban landscape and the experience of our regional towns. So, how can designing from an experiential approach make a difference to town life?  A traditional approach to changing the experience of towns and cities is through consultation, a production of a master plan and then staging the design over time. Consider what could be gained if we used on-the-ground experience to inform the structure our towns?  If we intensely engage with the ‘on the ground experience’ of the town, looking at how the town structures experience, we should be able to identify opportunities that could re-orientate how people interact with the town. These opportunities or potential design alterations, could reshape the way that the town is structured and therefore inform the development of a master plan or long term plan. Through an experience-based design approach the opportunities that can be identified from this method are often not visible from other techniques such as top down mapping and other common forms of data collection. Through a combination of; an understanding of the experience of the town, its history, influences, though various forms of mapping and the understanding the viability of proposed design alterations we could strategically transform the experience.  Therefore, through an experiential design approach and understanding how our small towns work in Aotearoa; can we focus design actions in the public environment to develop potential future change?</p>

Keep Your Doors Open

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Small Town ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Future Planning ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
The Future ◽  
Community Ties ◽  
University Training

This chapter examines the future that small communities may—or may not—hold for the next generation. As residents nearly always see it, young people who grow up in small towns should go to college in order to be well prepared for whatever the future may hold. However, the reasons given along with the concerns underlying these reasons are more complex than surveys and census data reveal. Although they consider higher education critical, residents—parents and educators alike—acknowledge that there are aspects of small-town culture that make it difficult for young people to plan appropriately in order to make the most of college or university training. The chapter considers the importance of college for future planning among young people, as well as the disadvantages of living in a small town, and how community ties remain among residents.

Leadership

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wuthnow
Keyword(s):  
Social Innovation ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Voluntary Organizations ◽  
Public Officials ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Cultural Leadership ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Informal Leaders

This chapter examines the role of formal and informal leaders, including local public officials and heads of voluntary organizations, in small communities' efforts to adapt to changing social and economic conditions. It considers how residents confer respect on leaders and how leaders draw on this respect in performing their roles. Leaders discuss why they take on civic responsibilities, the gratifications and frustrations involved, and how these activities serve as stepping-stones for public office in larger venues. Although it is sometimes suggested that small towns lack interesting cultural amenities, local cultural leadership is particularly important, and figures prominently in communities' understanding of their distinctive history and identity. The chapter also shows that small towns are laboratories for social innovation, judging from leaders' descriptions of new technology, electronic communications, sustainable energy projects, and efforts to rebuild following natural disasters.

Assessing Public Expenditures in Small Towns

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Helpap
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fire Protection ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Public Expenditures ◽  
Road Maintenance ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Community Characteristics ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Public Resources

Large, urban governments often provide a tremendous variety of public goods, while the expenditures of small communities usually address basic needs such as fire protection and road maintenance. However, certain small local governments dedicate significant public resources to recreation, culture, and public health services, among others. This research examines the variation in services provided by these smaller, often overlooked governments. Differences are explained, at least partially, by various community characteristics, location, and capacity. For the millions of people who reside in these communities, the findings illustrate why variations exist and what, potentially, can be done to alter expenditure levels.

Lacks and needs of R&D on wastewater treatment in small populations

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Aragón ◽  
J. J. Salas ◽  
E. Ortega ◽  
Y. Ferrer
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Small Populations ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
National Plan ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Treatment

Wastewater treatment in small communities, with less of 2,000 population equivalent, is one of the priorities of the new Spanish National Plan for Water Quality: Sanitation and Purification (2007-2015). Due to the peculiarities of the small agglomerations, the treatment solutions used in medium and large cities usually do not give satisfactory results if they are implanted directly into those communities. It is therefore necessary to adapt these technologies to the small towns or to search for new treatment solutions. In this regard, R&D activities play a key role. In fact, many research groups address their activities to the study of sanitation and treatment of small populations. In relation to the technologies studied there is a wide range that includes both extensive and intensive technologies. In the case of Spain, as in other countries, constructed wetlands seem to be the most studied technology in the recent years to sewage treatment in small settlements. However, there are still areas of study to be promoted in order to solve the current problems of sanitation and wastewater treatment in small settlements.

Centre Periphery Relations in Czechoslovakia

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Myant
Keyword(s):  
Regional Policy ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Engineering Industry ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Real Problem ◽  
Small Communities ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Post War ◽  
Weak Concentration

Industrialisation in Czechoslovakia led to only a weak concentration of economic activity. This trend continued in the post-war years when no coherent regional policy was formulated. The form of development, and the central position of the engineering industry, led to concentration into a number of centres alongside dispersion often into very small towns. Much of the population gravitated towards small communities, often heavily dependent on a single employer. Available evidence suggests that this led to a considerable equalisation between regions, but differences persist between the Czech and Slovak parts of the republic. The locational structure has been criticised as inefficient, but the real problem is the extreme social costs associated with structural changes in the economy. Slovakia is suffering much more during the transition to a market. Past growth has created a structure within which current hardships are easily translated into conflicts between local communities and the central authorities.

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