Agenda - 08-19-2010 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities 3 There are many ways to describe rural communities based on their economic, geographic, or design characteristics. Certainly, each community is unique, and rural communities can include a number of complex and contradictory qualities. However, char- acterizing them can help identify common challenges they may be facing as well as opportunities that may help them adopt a sustainable approach to growth and development in the future. Most rural communities can be grouped into five categories2, though many may fall into more than one: 1. Gateway communities are adjacent to high-amenity recreational areas such as National Parks, National Forests, and coastlines. They provide food, lodging, and associated services. Increasingly popular places to live, work, and play, gateway communities often struggle with strains on infrastructure and the natural environment. 2. Resource-dependent communities are often home to single industries, such as farming or mining, so their fortunes rise and fall with the market value of that resource. A key challenge facing resource - dependent communities is diversifying the economy while maintaining their rural quality of life and character. 3. Edge communities are located at the fringe of metropolitan areas and typically connected to them by state and Many of the challenges described below are regional in nature and require regional solutions. And yet land use decisions are made at the local level. When appropriate, local governments should cooperate across boundaries to develop collaborative, regional solutions to the challenges facing their indi- vidual communities. Fewer farms and fewer farmers Since the end of World War II, farm consolidation and the transition of agricultural land into non - agricultural uses have been,a challenge for many rural communi- ties. Farmland has been converted into residential or commercial uses, and small family farms have been replaced by large corporate farms. These changes have reduced the amount of open land, and technological advancements have further reduced the need for labor on remaining working lands —a particular challenge for resource - dependent communities. With fewer farms and fewer farming families, the skills, tradi- tions, and culture built around the rural economy are less likely to contribute to a rural community's sense interstate highways. They provide their residents with access to economic opportunities, jobs, and services. More affordable housing and access to urban amenities have made many of these edge areas grow at a faster pace than their metropolitan areas as a whole. But precisely because they are such attractive places to settle, edge communities often face pressure to continue to provide more housing and services to new residents. 4. Traditional Main Street communities enjoy compact street design that is often accessible to a transportation hub. In addition, historically significant architecture and public spaces provide valuable resources upon which to build. Still, these communities often struggle to compete for tenants and customers with office parks, regional malls, and big box stores. 5. Second home and retirement communities may overlap with some of the above groups, particularly edge communities and traditional Main Street communities. Like gateway communities, second home, and retirement communities struggle to keep pace with new growth while maintaining the quality of life that drew in residents in the first place. Many rural communities are facing challenges, including decreasing farm employment, lack of amenities, remote locations, and declining populations. of place. The 2007 Census of Agriculture found that 65 percent of principal farm operators report working off - farm, and nearly 55 percent report something other than farming as their primary occupation .3 92 a 0 d