Posts By Date
Metropolitan and rural America are highly connected and interdependent. To succeed, metropolitan America needs a healthy and sustainable rural economy and culture, and in turn rural America needs vibrant, well-functioning cities and suburbs to thrive and flourish (Dabson, 2007). Creating Opportunity and Prosperity Through Strengthening Rural-Urban Connections contains case studies on efforts underway across the country to support rural-urban connection. This issue brief, from The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), was developed and funded by the NADO Research Foundation, through a sub-grant with the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
If you're interested in urban-rural research and policy, check out Isserman's article in the International Regional Science Review, 28, 4: 465-499 (October 2005), In the National Interest: Defining Rural and Urban Correctly in Research and Public Policy.
OSU Extension in the City's newest working group is Sustainable Cities, led by Myra Moss. While there are numerous sustainability definitions and indexes, one thing remains constant -- there is value in exploring the connections between neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states.
At the beginning of May, a handful of OSU employees attended the National Urban Extension Conference in Atlanta Georgia. The conference was an excellent experience with representation from 44 states, with the total number of attendees exceeding 300.
Through the various speakers, workshops, and networking, one thing became clear; urban Extension efforts are gaining momentum, and more universities are acknowledging the need for strong urban models. Extension educators and administrators from all over the country shared information on how they are able to handle unique challenges and opportunities in large cities.
The National Urban Extension Leaders held a special event for attendees to discuss their vision for the future of Extension in urban areas. This added to an already exceptional experience, assisting us in further developing the framework for advancing OSU Extension in the City.
OSU Extension professionals presented the following:
Leadership in the City - Julie Fox
Urban Youth and 4-H: Research-Based Engagement - Janice Hanna
Extension in the City - Julie Fox, Laquore Meadows, James Stiving
Vacant to Vibrant - Suzanne Mills-Wasniak, Brad Bergefurd, Tony Nye, Julie Fox
To see the conference information, click here