VIRTUAL Manchester Livable Cities
Abstract
Walkability, culture, diversity, economic opportunity. These are just a few of the benefits that efforts of urbanization seek to give to communities. However, are these benefits exclusive to residents of urban areas, or can they extend to rural communities? This paper explores a relationship between urbanism, rurality and why rural areas must not be “left behind” in efforts to urbanize. Cities rely on the agricultural economies of rural areas for food and products that provide alternatives to fossil fuel energy and manufacturing materials. In addition, a 2020 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison highlights that on average, rural counties in the United States experience an average 31% net negative migration of 25-29 year-olds to cities, a significant number of a potential workforce for both rural and urban areas (Massey, D. (2020). “The Rural Youth Exodus of U.S. Counties: Community Level Characteristics and Trends”). Using the context of a rural town in Kansas, U.S. and a design prototype of a centrally located community space, the paper speculates the symbiosis between rural and urban, and the heritage and conservation awareness that can be provided with a public amenity that is for all ages while tackling common issues in rural communities. Understanding the pipeline between rural and urban economies, the two should support one another and cultivate an exchange of residents and amenities with unique ecological perspectives between one another.
Kristianna Johnson is an Architect and Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Kansas State University, the United States’ first operational land-grant university. Her practice experience and research focus on building resilient and vibrant rural communities through design that contribute to larger economies. Having always been inspired by the prairie and geology of her native state, she believes that design should hearken to all natural ecosystems as well as the people of a project’s context.