Our #NPC26 STaR Curated Sessions for Monday 4.27 in Detroit. Plus the STaR Awards at Noon and our Joint Divisions Reception Monday night. #SmallTownRural #planning

Rural Counties: New Arrivals Offset Natural Declines for Fifth Consecutive Year by Sarah Melotte dailyyonder.com/rural-counti... @dailyyonder.bsky.social

Our #NPC26 STaR Curated Sessions for Sunday morning 4.26 in Detroit. #SmallTownRural #planning

Aging courthouses, libraries, and jails are a quiet rural crisis—but also a chance to right‑size, co‑locate, and adaptively reuse community facilities so small towns can keep governing well. jcshepard.com/2026/04/smal... #SmallTowns #Rural #Infrastructure

Our #NPC26 STaR Curated Sessions for Saturday morning 4.25 in Detroit. #SmallTownRural #Planning

STaR has endorsed two sessions at #NPC26 of special interest to small town & rural planners: * High-Tech Tools for Small-Town Futures, Saturday 4/25 @1:30 pm (0.75 CM) * When Data Centers Come to Town, Saturday 4/25 @3:30 pm (0.75 CM) See you in Detroit later this month! #SmallTownRural #Planning

A rural Nebraska family’s lifeline hospital now sits at the center of a national fight over Medicaid cuts.

Farm boy with his dog as companion ties out cow in pasture bordering the road. Person County, North Carolina #northcarolina #undefined #photography #dorothealange https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017772524/

Pemberton, a small town outside Mankato, needs more volunteer firefighters or risks having to shutter its fire department. It’s part of a nationwide pattern: While call volume for emergencies has increased, there’s been a big drop in the number of people trained and willing to respond to them.

If your town can’t house its workers, it can’t grow its economy. This week, I write about why housing and quality of life are rural economic development, not an afterthought. Read more: jcshepard.com/2026/03/hous... #Housing #Rural #EconDev #QualityOfLife

What should you expect at #NPC26? More than you can possibly image! We'll see you there with the American Planning Association and all our friends next month in Michigan. youtu.be/YWvkB5J7lfE?...

"Catskinner" and bulldozer. They work on contract. Western Washington, Lewis County, near Vader, Washington. See general caption number 41 #catskinner #westernwashington #lewiscounty #vader #washington #photography #dorothealange

Farmer from Nebraska and his new barn on the Yamhill farms (FSA - Farm Security Administration) project. Yamhill County, Oregon. General caption number 57 #Nebraska #Yamhill #YamhillCounty #Oregon #America #Farmer #DorotheaLange #American #undefined […] [Original post on mastodon.ozioso.online]

Don't Miss Out! Register for the 2026 National Planning Conference now, early bird registration ends in just a few days. The Conference will be in Detroit April 25th - 28th, then goes Online the end of May. Check back soon for some session suggestions from STaR. #NPC26 #planning

Rural headlines say “dying” and “disappearing,” but the map is more interesting than that. ​ New: a field guide walk through jobs & income data in one #rural county—layer by layer—so you can read your own hometown’s economic map, not just the headline. #EconDev ​ 🔗 jcshepard.com/2026/03/unde...

Treat's for Her Plymouth, IN

My new column, What the Data Center Boom Means for Planners, has just been posted on @planetizen.bsky.social Thanks to Laura Schmahmann for her insights on the topic. I look forward to your comments. lnkd.in/guRjqRSe

Lincoln Bench School and yard. Near Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon #lincolnbenchschool #ontario #malheurcounty #oregon #dorothealanges #undefined #photography #dorothealange https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017773617/

STaR's Vice-Chair for Communications @jcshepard.com is a guest this week on Joe Barker’s Rural Strong podcast. Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4pdX... Or YouTube: youtu.be/uau5zV0xJYo?... #smalltownrural #smalltowns #rural #planning #econdev .

Owner provided cabins and wood but no nearby water on this ranch (hop ranch). Oregon, Josephine County, near Grants Pass. See general caption number 45-111 #oregon #josephinecounty #grantspass #undefined #photography #dorothealange https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017773084/

We’re sold out for next week’s webinar. Thanks to all who signed up!

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