New Mexico's early childhood education amendment, revitalizing rural communities, and how poverty exacerbates behavioral health issues.
Listen: Local stories from rural America On the final episode of Reimagine Rural season one, listeners from across the country tell host Tony Pipa their stories about community revitalization, including rebuilding downtowns, embracing refugees, gearing up for energy transitions, and taking advantage of outdoor recreation. Listen to the podcast |
More about the Reimagine Rural podcast |
Tony Pipa spent much of the last year traveling around the country to speak with people in rural places and uplift their stories and challenges. As he wrapped up season one of the podcast, we asked him a few questions about what he learned and what he wants people to take away from the show. |
What surprised you the most in your travels for the show? I expected to experience creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit from the local people I interviewed, even though most people don’t think about rural America in those terms. Since much of that goes unseen, my team and I hoped that the podcast would provide many examples for our listeners. I didn’t expect to have so many of my guests stress the importance of beauty, that beautifying their community was central to revitalizing their community. Not just because it might help attract outsiders, but because it is so fundamental to providing a sense of security, pride, and inspiration to community members, especially their youth. What is a prominent misconception about rural America that you want people to let go of? That rural America is doomed. Some people assume that there’s no place for small towns in a global information economy that rewards agglomeration. That view discounts not only the innovation throughout rural America, but also the changes in policy that have been a factor in creating the challenges facing rural America. There is so much opportunity for rural places in the economy of the future: wind farms, solar farms, minerals and manufacturing for batteries, regenerative agriculture and local food systems, retail distribution, and outdoor recreation. How communities manage those opportunities will have important consequences, not just for rural America, but America as a whole. What is one thing that people working on federal rural policy should take away from your show? Current federal policy is not meeting the modern needs and opportunities facing rural America. The federal government has set aside significant resources for building infrastructure, reshoring manufacturing, and shifting to a clean energy economy, but the way those programs are designed often makes them inaccessible. I hope they learn more about the practical realities facing local leaders in rural places—to meet them where they are at and make that public investment accessible. 🎙️ Explore the full season of Reimagine Rural and follow the show on your preferred listening platform. |
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