Rural communities facing challenges
Kevin Bessler The Center Square
June 4, 2021
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SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges to rural communities in Illinois facing questions on how to grow or how to stop the decline.
Some municipalities worry that the community they find comfortable is threatened by development while others find their towns in a slow decay with declining populations and loss of jobs.
A program called Smart Growth is a collaborative policy and planning concept rural communities can adopt to develop solutions that fit their specific wants and needs. Organizers said the program embraces community identity, preserves agricultural and natural areas and protects assets while creating fiscally and socially responsible opportunities in employment, housing and infrastructure.