A Regional Approach to Community Development

Stagnant or negative growth in population and reduced economic well-being are threatening the future of small towns and rural areas in Iowa and the Midwest, especially those communities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Clusters of similar-sized towns are in desperate need of strategies for survival. The problems behind these trends will not disappear in the near future. The depth of these problems will require long term planning and the coordination of resources of state, regional, and local government-as well as the private sector, and the land grant universities. A brief summary of recent trends in the rural Midwest is presented below