We’ve arrived in Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, for the first of three rural development exchanges with colleagues down under.  Lots of interest here in regional development strategies and increasing understanding of rural-urban interdependencies. Here’s a shot of the outskirts of town after a summer rainstorm.

Its  simple idea is to share ideas, about rural urban connections in Minnesota – in your life and work – that help rural and urban people, places, and businesses and organizations thrive. There’s always been interdependency between rural and urban resources, producers, markets, but we don’t always deliberately call it out or intentionally build on it.

We really need an integrated approach to rural, urban, and suburban community and economic development and planning in Minnesota, if we want to thrive – not just survive. Innovation and wealth creation in social and economic enterprise in Minnesota depends on a good understanding and application of the rural urban connections we have now and into the future.

Urban (including suburban) people have to face it. Access to and sustainability of the big three –food, energy, and water resources — all depends on having an understanding and support of, and respect for the rural people and places that steward those resources.

This isn’t a new idea. In fact, back in May 1968, former Minnesota Governor and then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman gave a speech in Washington, D.C. to the leaders of the nation’s “rural-oriented industries” on the topic: “Rural/Urban Balance – Whose Responsibility?”

Freeman said: “We are met here today to discuss this portion [rural] of America in a period when almost all of the national conscience is focused on yet another segment of the land, the great cities.

“It is almost as if we were two Nations; one rural, one urban, with separate problems, separate solutions, separate destinies. But in fact – as well as rhetoric – we are still one Nation, indivisible, with indivisible problems, indivisible solutions; with but one destiny. And unless we recognize this, we shall never overcome the terrible strains that threaten to rend the social fabric of our land.”

Powerful words. A powerful confrontation of reality, so relevant to our challenges, and opportunities today. We’ll be sharing more of that speech in the months ahead, so stay tuned.

To answer the 2010 question of rural urban balance, we will begin simply, to collect through videoconferences and other online forms of social gatherings – the stories, examples, experiences you have of rural urban connections in businesses, food and agriculture, arts, health care, education, telecom & info technology, workforce development, energy, environment, and other areas that emerge from these conversations and idea-sharing opportunities. Check the schedule (to be posted towards the end of January) and other ways to provide your input at www.rurb.mn.

The first videoconference is in southeast Minnesota on January 19 from 4 to 5 p.m. Sites include Adams, Houston, Owatonna (pending) and the TIES offices in St. Paul. Contact Pam Matchie for specific location directions and to RSVP (pmatchie@decisionresourceassociates.com).

Along the way, with the help of our Graduate Research Assistant at the UM Center for Regional and Urban Affairs, we’ll start physically mapping those connection stories you contribute.  We’ll all either be astounded at the number and depth, or worried that not enough connections exist to prime the innovation pump and sustain our state.

And, mark your calendars and please attend the University of Minnesota, Morris, Center for Small Towns’ annual Small Town Symposium, June 9-10 http://www.morris.umn.edu/services/cst/symposium/2010

At the Symposium, we’ll be hosting the Rural Urban Gathering, to share what we’ve collected between January and May 2010 on rural urban connections, and to ask you to consider joining the Rural Urban Partnering Task Force, to keep supporting existing and emerging rural urban connections.

We are co-hosting the Small Town Symposium because we believe deeply in the work of the Center. They are a catalyst for the innovations happening at the University and in and around Morris on sustainable community development. The University of Minnesota Morris was GREEN before it was fashionable. They were GREEN because they knew western Minnesota needed to figure out how to reinvent its economy and what better lab than a university town with experiment and outreach centers.

We are co-hosting the Symposium because it was cancelled last year due to the poor economy. It’s crucial that people gather face-to-face to inspire, cajole, take risks together and go out better prepared to help their own communities do the same.   The worst thing we can do these days is to hunker down.  We have to go out and help each other reset to a new, better normal.

So –

1. add your two cents to this discussion blog – stories, experiences, examples of rural-urban connections in your life and work
2. sign up for a videoconference near you (the schedule will be posted later in January)

And please go to our Twitter site to join in the discussion at 140 characters or less! http://twitter.com/rurbmn

Minnesota Community Pride Contest Back for 2010!

We’ll provide more details in May, but start thinking now about entering your community in the 2010 Minnesota Community Pride contest, brought back by popular demand thanks to Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., the Minnesota State Fair, and MinnPost.com.

A new category will be, you guessed it: Rural Urban Connections!

All communities entered and winners will be recognized at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, September 5, in Carousel Park.  See www.reinventingminnesota.org to see which communities were award winners last year.  Share your ideas, share your pride with your neighbors statewide.

Look to this spot for the schedule of videoconferences and webinars starting in January 2010 (and running through May 2010), where YOUR presence and wisdom will be most appreciated to share stories of rural urban connections in your life and in your work.  Also be thinking if you would like to be more deeply involved in this project as a member of the advisory group.

We are scheduling 2 videoconferences every other week, interspersed with a webinar on the alternating week, to give as much access as possible across Minnesota.

In the meantime, join in on this blog if you want to help think/write through topics related to rural-urban connections.