Rural-Ready Engagement: Practical Tools for Small Town Planners Community engagement looks different in rural America. Join us for a one-hour webinar with @jcshepard.com Vice-Chair for Communications of STaR 📅 Wed Feb 25 | Noon MT / 1pm CT 🔗 Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/rural-read...

Will Trump’s Order on Housing Help? Why an executive order from President Trump to curtail Wall Street’s power in the #housing market will not be effective. Build-to-rent is where the investor capital is since the pandemic. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

Virginia is the world’s largest data center hub, and most of the state's existing and planned data centers are located within already water-constrained watersheds.

Rural Resilience, Federal Flux: Practical Planning for Local Hazard Mitigation (going a bit #BoyScout #BePrepared on my Medium.com Small Towns, Real Ideas newsletter "short" post this week). medium.com/small-towns-... #hazardmitigation #communityengagement #planning

Silo Saint Jacob, IL

Company store in coal town. Consumers, near Price, Utah #price #the"BlueBlazeCoalCo #consumersutah #undefined #photography #dorothealange https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017762867/

Despite financial incentives renewable energy offers to small-scale farmers, the hostile attitude of the current administration towards green energy stalls its development.

This Saturday (Jan 31) at 2:00 pm EST, see @smettler.bsky.social, co-author of Rural Versus Urban, give a lecture as part of the National Writers Series! She will discuss her book and how the urban-rural divide drives partisan polarization. Get tickets for this hybrid event here: buff.ly/2QZ3VnT

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is one of the first hemp fiber processors in Kansas, and wants the investment to benefit both the tribe and the environment. The new products include insulation and compostable cutlery.

"The people who have the most to gain from this are legislators in rural areas" 43 percent of road deaths occur in rural areas, despite being home to only 20 percent of the U.S. population "rural pedestrians...don't even have a crumbling sidewalk... they literally have nothing"

APA STaR 2026 Awards for Excellence in Small Town & Rural Planning nominations now open through 1/23 (next week!). Info at link in graphic/bio. #SmallTownRural

2025 Planning Excellence Awards Results are in! international.planning.org/community/aw... We are pleased to announce the recipients of the Planning Excellence Awards 2025. Congratulations to all!

Showcase your planning projects and initiatives. Submit for a STAR Planning Award today! Small Town and Rural Planning award submissions for 2026 are now being accpted. Check the STAR Newsletter or our new website for more information. smalltown.planning.org #smalltownrural #planning

Many rural and Native American #communities in the US face the biggest #digitaldivide in high-speed internet access. Urban’s #research, supported by Comcast, explores strategies to expand connectivity for all. Learn more. https://urbn.is/4sFSuvU

🌾 Winter 2026 STaR newsletter is live for members! STaR Awards open for 3 more weeks—contact Vice Chair of Programs for your submission link. #NPC26 details dropping soon--see you in Michigan in April! STaR members log on & d/l yours: smalltown.planning.org #SmallTownRural #planning

Trends come and go, but what’s always “in” is humbly observing where your community struggles. What’s always “in” is thinking of the next smallest thing you can do to address that struggle. Then you do it. Do it now. And repeat.

Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2025

Happy New Year! APA STaR Division's Small Town & Rural Planning Award nominations are open, now through January 23rd. You've got 3 weeks to get your projects or people recognized for the hard work you do.

Zion National Park for New Years was truly magical. It rained all day, but that weather produced the most amazing clouds and mist. Can’t wait to go back. ❤️ #zion #zionnationalpark #photography #landscapephotography #rainydays

Small towns don’t need less planning—they need planning that fits their people, land, and budgets. A six‑step, rural‑ready path from vision to action. Kicking off a year-long series on small town and rural comprehensive planning. jcshepard.com/2026/01/plan... #smalltowns #rural #planning #plans

✨2025, what a year! Here's a quick look back on the work carried out during a year filled with research, events, publications, discussions, insights, and Nordic cooperation. 📬 Keep up with what is coming in 2026 and subscribe to our newsletter: nordregio.org/about/subscr...

"There is somewhere around 1.1 trillion Lego elements that have been made at this point." Daniel Konstanski, author of “The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks,” tells the tale of how a small Danish company developed the world’s most adored building toy.

Middle West Review's Lost Region Recovery Project conference (Nov 15 at Sioux Falls) is now online: fast-paced panels on Midwestern history, culture, identity, and how to revive this “lost” region. Session 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWv... #SmallTowns #Rural #Midwest #planning #policy

Small Town and Rural Planning Division Planning Awards - Nominations Now Open! STaR invites nominations for outstanding individuals & projects for their contribution to planning excellence in small town and rural communities. Apps close 1.23.26 #smalltownrural Full info at link in bio.

Small Town and Rural Planning Division Planning Awards - Nominations Now Open! STaR invites nominations for outstanding individuals & projects for their contribution to planning excellence in small town and rural communities. Apps close 1.23.26 Full info: smalltown.planning.org/community-ou...

Rural Entrepreneurs Aren’t Taking No for an Economic Answer The line between Main Street and Country Roads has never been as clear as people often thought…. #SmallTowns #rural #econdev medium.com/small-towns-...

New findings from an RTPI survey of more than 2,500 planners reveal that 20% of respondents in the UK expect to leave the profession within the next three years – with no clear pipeline to replace them. Read the State of the Profession report: https://www.rtpi.org.uk/stateoftheprofession

Solar companies have figured out how to mix sheep grazing and power production. This company is about to make a push to do it with cows, with huge growth potential.

The Decoy Bar Webster, SD

It's the first day of #GeographyAwarenessWeek! How’re you celebrating? Let us know and check out over fifty events happening worldwide on our StoryMap. buff.ly/bKhXzko #GeoWeek2025 #GeoSky #GISChat

Jon Lauk, University of South Dakota, opening The Lost Region Recovery Project conference on #Midwest Studies in Sioux Falls. Sponsored by Middle West Review & National Endowment for the Humanities.

Save some green while getting some green inspiration. ALL Island Press books are 50% off until 11/16! Islandpress.org/half

One of the neatest early examples of pre-fabricated housing in the U.S. were kit homes, most famously made by Sears...people would order their home from the catalog and the parts would be delivered by rail and they would assemble them on-site. www.searshouses.com

Take the 2025 Climate Planning Survey by the Great Plains Institute, APA Sustainable Communities Division, Ester A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund. Results will be used to develop guidance & model resources to help planners & sustainability staff with climate issues. www.surveymonkey.com/r/YB7D3L6

Turning theory into action: Rural towns like Hinesburg, VT & Davis, CA show how smart zoning puts big ideas into practice—blending growth, farmland, and community into real results. Ideas on how local values shape better land use here: jcshepard.com/2025/11/rura... #RuralZoning #Praxis #SmartGrowth

One of the draws of homesteading and tiny house living is learning to live off the land. To grow your own food supply, it’s necessary to first learn the requirements of planting homestead gardens.🥕🌽🫛 Here are the basics: thetinylife.com/basic-tips-f...

[Registration Is Now Open!] Join Us for the 2025 World Town Planning Day Conference Theme: With Planning We Can! Date: Friday, November 7 Register here!: planning.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Join the RTPI's #WorldTownPlanningDay 2025 online programme, which brings together case studies from the UK and around the world, fostering the exchange of ideas globally. 👉Register for the free webinars at: www.rtpi.org.uk/wtpd This year's theme is 'With Planning We Can'

US Census Releases Most Accurate, Granular Housing Data Yet - h/t Niskanen Center

Webinar: Zoning for our Future: Solar, Windfarms, EV, and Manufactured/ Modular Homes Friday October 31, 2025 | Noon CDT www.ohioplanning.org/aws/APAOH/pt... #zoning #wind #solar #EVs #housing

💡October is Energy Awareness Month! Supercharge your awareness and understanding with our monthly book bundle. Get all 4 of these energy titles for just $85 when you use code BUNDLE at checkout on islandpress.org/bundle

Checkout Garrett Stritzel's amazing project, Rural Justice, which won the 2025 James Segedy Honor Award for Small Town and Rural Planner StaR members log on to d/l the STaR News and read about it: www.planning.org/divisions/sm... #SmallTownRural #smalltown #rural #planning #awards

Rural America is blending solar with farming—agrivoltaics means clean energy, more income for farmers, and thriving pollinators. Smart zoning helps landowners & communities benefit together. See how solar & ag can work side by side: jcshepard.com/2025/10/sola... #Rural #Agrivoltaics #Solar #Energy

STaR John Keller Planning Initiative Awards for 2025. Checkout these amazing award-winning projects, from Michigan, Ohio, and Wyoming. STaR members, log on & d/l your Fall newsletter with all the details: www.planning.org/divisions/sm... #SmallTownRural #planning #awards

#Population change projections by state, 2025-2050. These are matter of debate. could all turn out different. In partic., climate chg could diminish growth of FL & SW USA states. Credits: proj'ns of @weldoncoopercenter.bsky.social, graphic design by @visualcap.bsky.social

Fall News highlights STaR Award Winners Brownwood, TX Downtown Plan Vernon Dienes Plan <50k Honor Longmeadow, MA Climate Resilience Plan Vernon Dienes Plan <50k Honor Burwell, NE Comprehensive Plan Vernon Dienes Plan <50k Merit Greencastle DePauw Master Plan (Indiana) Vernon Dienes Plan <50k Merit

#SmallTownRural planners are often urbanists--small towns are often walkable, mixed-use communities built on a flexible grid. We just don't get all Up-in-the-Sky about it.

Reviving #rural America with clean power! 🌱 Discover how local energy and community projects can spark a new renaissance. Check out this insightful book review from the Spring 2024 @apa-star.bsky.social newsletter: jcshepard.com/2025/10/rura... #SmallTownRural #RenewableEnergy #wind #solar #policy