dave mccorquodale.plan740.fall 03 against all odds : rural community in the information age why a...

dave mccorquodale.plan740.fall 03

Against All Odds:

Rural Community in the Information Age

Why a place that consciously maintains community functions as a community.


Hans Bahrdt once described a ruralite as someone who when lost

in a large city and compelled to ask directions of a stranger, also feels compelled to explain why he needs to get where he is going and

why he became lost in the first place.

-Against All Odds (p.30)


A look at how a community in the rural northwest can survive in modern America.

What is “community”?

Are we losing it?

Should we even be using it?

Against All Odds


Introduction

• Formal town meeting to discuss possibility of consolidating with another local school

• Community tension about the merger

• School as a cornerstone—creates community identity (mascot, school pride, instilling community values, etc.)

• Most residents don’t want consolidation because the other school doesn’t “measure up” to Bremer’s

• Town decides to go through with the merger through an efficient, informal process by which community members discuss pros/cons of issue

• Main reason for decision was the benefit to the school budget—residents put aside personal opinions for community benefit

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis


Bremer, Washington — fictitious name to preserve identity

• Town population of about 1,000

• Informal town boundary of about 15 miles in each direction

• Agricultural-based economy (wheat)

• Strong local service infrastructure

Context

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis•Much like any other rural town

•Stable population through the years

•Average adult age: 53

•Average household size: 2.4

•Not a “poor” rural town—contradicts national trend

•Historically an agricultural town

•Now a service center for area agricultural producers


Context…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Inland northwest community in Palouse Hills

• Deep soils formed from loess deposits from glaciated period

• In Columbia Basin, between Columbia and Snake Rivers

• Economically connected by series of dams & locks along rivers

• East of Cascade Range “rain shadow”

Map adapted from: Against All Odds p. 11


Context…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

All photos: Against All Odds p. 15,17,19,21


Framework

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

al·tru·ism : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

Altruistic society : a society whose individuals are willing to make individual sacrifices for the benefit of the community.

• In the 1950’s, sociologists unofficially declared “community” defunct in the wake of industrialization, urbanization, and suburbanization

• Broad trends of vertical ties replacing horizontal ties

• Bremer community extends about 15 miles in each direction

“You can tell when you’re in it, because people recognize your car and start waving…” -Against All Odds (p.26)

• What is an appropriate framework for understanding community change?


Framework…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

3 Eras of Social and Economic Organization

• Community Control Era: difficult to distinguish between public/private life, lack of regional transport, labor-based economy, small town size, dom. source of info was family & friends

• Mass Society Era: industrial revolution, assembly line, mass produced, products designed to meet average consumer needs, increased transport, market globalization hurt diversity of rural economy, dom. source of info was local radio & television

• Information Age: information substituted for time & energy, downsizing through automation, ag commodities grown in mass quantities targeted at specific markets, few non-computer jobs, main source of info is national & international media corporations

Graph: Against All Odds (p.29)


Framework…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Bremer is a combination of all three eras

• Community Control — community members care about how others perceive their actions, most personal business conducted in the town is public knowledge, network of family & friends moves information quickly and efficiently

• Mass Society — scale and lack of diversity of crop production, governmental control through federal farm subsidy programs, market globalization

• Information Age — ability to make real-time decisions about farm management, easier to comply with subsidy program regulations, established producer—consumer links (niche markets), wireless transfer of information, use of technology to automate processes (not full accepted in Bremer—resistance to change)


Framework…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

How Bremer is Wired…(and not)

• Satellite television

• Global agricultural market

•Futures

•Sale of physical commodities

•Farm implement technology

• Digital communications

•Cellular phones

•Personal / Business computing

• Environmental practices: Bremer farmers display unwillingness to try newer, environmentally-sensitive farming practices without opportunity for economic return. Authors often comment on the signs of topsoil erosion evident in the area around Bremer.


AgricultureThe Reconciliation of Making a Living, the Government,

and Way of LifeIntroduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Older, Traditional Ways vs. Newer, Modern Practices

• Traditional farms were more diverse, neatly fenced

• Modern farms produce homogeneous crops, farms directly tied to government subsidies for supplemental income, unfenced “to let the machines have a little room to turn around…”

• Farming directly depends on climate: temperature, rainfall, type of rainfall, etc.

• Farming practices and sporadic weather patterns cause massive amounts of soil erosion—seems to be of little concern to local farmers—ironic?

• Aesthetic qualities of grain fields

• Harvest lasts about a month and is busiest time of year in Bremer

• Farmers use hedging/futures to maximize profits—ability to sell commodities in ”real-time”


Main Street

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Well-rounded mix of goods & services

• Traditional rural character

• Businesses don’t compete with each other

• Some town residents want businesses to expand hours

• Residents express desire to maintain traditional business district (95% shop locally), and also a desire to participate in mass-society with its large variety of goods and services

• Bremer Bank: locally owned, all customers use same window, customers know bankers personally, accounts by name—not #, loans discussed publicly—apply at counter

• Hartford Grocery Store: dry goods & meats, no drugstore items, most customers on charge account, computer ordering—niches

• Bremer Hardware & Implement: 4 stores in area, franchise of nat’l chain (overhead), computer ordering, know customers & their equipment, cost $80,000 for updating store modems for ordering

• Bremer Insurance Agency: community coffee pot—2 downtown coffee breaks a day, conducts vehicle registrations, 50% of town residents have insurance here, lack of younger residents buying


Main Street…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

school

grain elevators

churchchurch

church

Kohler

tracto

r co

fert.

/farm

supp

ly

Café/tavernCommunity

club

Skeet range

hard

ware

Insu

ranc

e

bank

Single family residential

groc

ery

groc

ery

TV

/pho

ne

drug

store

old farm equipment

Railroad

libra

ry


Main Street…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Bremer Telephone & Cable TV most affected by Information Age and technology, digital switching, touch-tone dialing, computer billing, long distance access, call forwarding, speed calling, conference calling, mobile phones, paging

• Bremer Café & Tavern: café by day / tavern by night, no one drinks during day, usually closes by 7pm

• Requirements of doing business in Bremer:

•outside businesses find it hard to be accepted by residents

•businesses are concerned what the town will think

•community is the driving force guiding the conduct of business


Community

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

More Important than Government: The Community Club

• County seat many miles away

• Community Club handles most local infrastructure

• Originally a gun club with skeet shooting range (60 yr)

• Small 24x36 green building on outskirts of town

• Informal movement to Community Club

• What does the club do?

• Discuss community needs outside legal constraints

• Almost all community interests represented

• Community “elders” discuss different issues

• To an outsider, it appears as a social event

• Community Club binds community across political lines (city limit),

• Conscious effort knitting town and country

• Expanded resource base


Community…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• City Council meetings held in library on Main Street

• Informal decision making process involving face to face contact with involved parties

• Person-based—not legal-based

• Council contacts any families involved in decisions

• All decisions are public

• Voted not to apply for federal sewer grant—cited Mt. St. Helens cleanup: did it on their own w/o hassle of federal bureaucracy and saved $10,000

• After council meetings, members move to café to informal town meeting to explain decisions to residents


Community…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Gender

• Men make most decisions concerning town business

• Women’s roles beginning to change

• Many women handle farm finances, lobby agricultural markets

• Men in town go on 2-week elk hunt every Fall

• Change bringing tension to community

•women seeking principal job in school

•seats on city council

•not the Community Club

• Stress at home: “Where’s my dinner?”


Community…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Medical Care

• Seen as a community need—89% community support

• Residents put up interest-free loan in $1,000 per resident increments to help new doctor pay for home & practice

• Residents understand necessity of having a town doctor

• Old doctor was on call 24/7 for 30 years

• Job not appealing to potential doctors: low pay, long hours, geographic isolation

• Helicopter transport allows better access to modern health care in regional centers, but conflicts with town doctor’s role as primary care giver


Community…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Education: No Dropouts and a Winning Sports Program

• Teaches value first, academics second

• Merger with neighboring school—regional rural school decline

• School has control ties outside community (vertical)

• School embodies tradition and history of community

• Individual interaction between teachers and students

• 25% of town residents have post-high school degree

• Most residents believe school taxes should be handled locally—most would give more

• Parents want geographic proximity to school

• Sports play a large role community—achievement

• Many students moving out of Bremer after graduation

• Stress in school from competing with outside schools


Reviewing last Thursday…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

What is “community”?

Bremer, Washington—small agricultural community in northwest Washington state

Rural communities must adapt to changes in society while maintaining traditions and community values


Community…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Religion

• Methodist, 1st Christian Church, or the Gun Club

• Main function is to teach children values

• Changing role of religion in society

• Transient nature of modern ministers doesn’t allow time to get to know townspeople and their needs

• Cooperation among churches for Vacation Bible School

• Religion is important—but not a guiding force in everyday life


Social Life

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Waving at each other on the road

• Pros/cons of everyone knowing everything about everyone else

• Being born into the community has it’s privileges

• Age hierarchy in community

• Only minor social differences within community

• Safety in knowing the whole town


Social Life…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

• Tension created from shopping/spending locally

• Low cost of living in town attracts low income housing market—”outsiders” who don’t know community norms and values

• What about community perception of “undesirables”?

• Agriculture’s technological advances disrupted social life in Bremer

• Annual livestock show , parade and fair provides time for community-oriented celebration


Synthesis…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Bremer’s actions and interactions can only be explained by community

Indicators:

• Public amenities (pool, golf, fairgrounds) built and maintained by volunteers

• Competing businesses help one another and avoid selling identical products

• City Council buys from businesses in turn—instead of lowest bidder

• Existence of Community Club that oversees community activities


Synthesis…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Indicators…

• Bank—pays below-market interest rates, has public loan process, yet maintains customers

• Retention of medical services for community by collectively purchasing doctor’s home and office

• Social event invitations spread quickly and efficiently by word of mouth

• Rejection of federal assistance in favor of solving own problems


Reasons for Bremer’s persistence:

• Geographic isolation preserves Bremer’s society

• Well-rounded community base—all needs met

• Role of Community Club is crucial—a means for consolidating town and country resource base

• Combination of factors:

Synthesis…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis


Synthesis…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Manufacturing Community

• More than a list of developer concerns

• More than design guidelines and planning regulations

• Bremer community is impossible to manufacture

• A combination of history and traditions based on family values

• Development should build foundations for community—not try to provide an end result


Synthesis…

Introduction

Context

Framework

Agriculture

Main Street

Community

Social life

Synthesis

Why communities survive

• Survival is based on community’s ability to adapt to changes in society

• Balance of maintaining horizontal & vertical ties

• Maximizing potential resource base — community does not have to stop at city limit sign

• Altruistic population: willing to commit individual time and resources to reach a collective goal

• Ability to utilize best aspects of societal trends

• Desire to maintain community

Reference:

Allen, JC & Dillman, DA. Against All Odds: Rural Community in the Information Age. Westview Press. Boulder, Colorado, 1994

dave mccorquodale.plan740.fall 03 against all odds : rural community in the information age why a...

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