PODCAST · society
Reimagine Rural
by The Brookings Institution
The dominant narrative of rural America is often one of decline and division. On Reimagine Rural podcast, host Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America himself, visits rural places across the United States to hear local people tell the story of how they are enacting positive change in their communities and learning how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity.
Episodes
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America's Rural Future: On the Olympic Peninsula with Commission members Derek Kilmer and Benji Backer
In this special edition of Reimagine Rural, Tony Pipa interviews Derek Kilmer, senior vice president, U.S. Program & Policy at The Rockefeller Foundation and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (WA-6) and Benji Backer, CEO and founder of Nature is Nonpartisan. Kilmer and Backer are...
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America's Rural Future: In Eastern Kentucky with Commission member Phil English
In this special edition of Reimagine Rural, Tony Pipa interviews Phil English, co-chairman of the Government Relations Practice Group at ArentFox Schiff, LLP and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (PA-3). English is a member of America's Rural Future: Brookings-AEI Commission on...
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America's Rural Future: In the Mississippi Delta with Commission Members Bill Bynum and Charlie Cotherman
This special edition of Reimagine Rural features Tony Pipa interviewing Bill Bynum, CEO of Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union, and Charlie Cotherman, executive director of the Center for Rural Ministry at Grove City College and pastor at the Oil City Vineyard Church. Both guests…
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S3E10: Progress reports: Revisiting people and places from Reimagine Rural
The season three finale of Reimagine Rural has Tony checking in with leaders in places he previously visited to see how the towns are faring. From stalled industrial developments in central Ohio and rural California to devastating floods in Globe, Arizona, this episode reveals how rural…
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S3E9: Will a data center be good for Thomas and Davis in Tucker County, West Virginia?
When a permit application for a proposed power plant heralded the possibility of a large data center being located near the towns of Davis and Thomas in West Virginia, local leaders and residents were taken by surprise and are determined to protect the creative economy and natural beauty of their...
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S3E8: America's Rural Future, Interview with Tom Halverson, CEO, CoBank
This special edition of Reimagine Rural features Tony Pipa interviewing Tom Halverson, CEO of CoBank and a member of America's Rural Future: The Brookings-AEI Commission on Rural Prosperity. Halverson reflects on the commission's visits and public hearings in North Dakota and Minnesota…
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S3E7: Skowhegan, Maine, is making waves as it builds a vibrant future along the Kennebec River
A former mill town once defined by economic decline, Skowhegan, Maine, is thriving again through creativity and collaboration. From a growing regional food hub and a major riverfront revitalization effort to new housing and early education projects, residents are proving that rural communities…
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S3E6: How immigration is reshaping and revitalizing rural Beardstown, Illinois
Since the 1990s, Beardstown, Illinois — official population 5,800 — has experienced steady immigration due to the meatpacking industry, breathing new life into this once declining town. Now a multicultural community with residents from over 30 countries, newcomers have integrated throughout...
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S3E5 How Ord, Nebraska's hospital injects vitality into this rural town on the edge of the Sandhills
Through community-driven investments in health care, economic development, and civic leadership, the town of Ord, Nebraska, stands as a model for rural renewal. A modern hospital with state-of-the-art features has helped to attract and retain residents, and a local sales tax fund has provided...
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S3E4 The Morris Model is helping a Minnesota prairie town go green and avoid partisan divides
Morris, Minnesota, a rural place on the edge of the prairie, is at the forefront of environmental sustainability. In this episode, Tony Pipa visits Morris to discover how its residents and local leaders have set aside partisan politics to build powerful, trusted partnerships to invest in clean...
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S3E3 Hazard, Kentucky's civic renaissance is changing the narrative about Appalachia
Hazard, Kentucky, is overcoming the decline of its coal industry and the impact of the opioid epidemic, creating a vibrant downtown business district and renewed civic spirit. In this episode, Tony Pipa visits the Queen City of the Mountains to meet the people who decided downtown was worth...
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S3E2 How Canton, North Carolina, is maintaining its identity and resilience after multiple disasters
A single natural disaster can change a community for generations. In the span of five years, Canton, North Carolina, experienced Tropical Storm Fred, Hurricane Helene, and a significant economic shock: the closure of its paper mill. The 115-year-old institution had employed more than a thousand...
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S3E1 Restoring outdoor recreation in Old Fort, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene
Over the past several years, a set of partners in Old Fort, North Carolina, has been developing a network of elite mountain bike and hiking trails that was starting to put the town on the map. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene left the place in ruins, damaging homes, trails, and more than a…
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Announcing season three of Reimagine Rural podcast
Season three of Reimagine Rural podcast launches soon with new episodes. Once again, host Tony Pipa is visiting small towns from coast to coast, talking to local people, capturing their stories of the changes unfolding in their hometowns, and exploring the implications and intersections with…
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What US rural policy could look like in the Trump administration
As the Trump administration prepares to take power in Washington, Senior Fellow Tony Pipa, host of the Reimagine Rural podcast, looks at what has happened in rural policy under the Biden administration and what shifts in federal policy and emphasis might ensue under President Trump. No matter…
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S2E9: Policy innovations that strengthen rural capacity to access investment
The importance of public investment, and the difficulty rural places have in accessing it, are recurring themes in the stories we gather for the podcast. Communities often lack the time and staff to navigate the maze of available resources and match them to their project plans and aspirations....
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S2E8: Innovation is part of rural America's DNA (part 2)
Innovation and entrepreneurship are fundamental to America's national identity, yet they are commonly associated with big cities and areas like Silicon Valley. As we've encountered numerous times in past episodes, rural America is full of innovation and home to countless examples of ingenuity. In...
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S2E7: Innovation is part of rural America's DNA (part 1)
Innovation and entrepreneurship are fundamental to America's national identity, yet they are commonly associated with big cities and areas like Silicon Valley. As we've encountered numerous times in past episodes, rural America is full of innovation and home to countless examples of ingenuity. In...
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S2E6: The audacious goal of building 10,000 affordable homes in California's Coachella Valley
Rural America is facing a national affordable housing crisis, and nearly half of rural renters are rent-burdened. With the unique characteristics and challenges of housing in rural America, but also with policy solutions that are often designed for urban and suburban communities, rural…
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S2E5: Farming for wind in rural Michigan
The land and resources needed for the transition to clean energy are found disproportionately in rural places. Many rural communities now find themselves faced with a potential for clean energy development that brings both economic opportunities and political tensions, especially with the...
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S2E4: Intel's megasite means big changes in central Ohio: How are local rural communities responding?
Intel Corporation is building two multi-billion-dollar semiconductor chip fabrication plants in Licking County, Ohio. While this industrial installation, the largest private-sector investment in Ohio's history, promises to create thousands of jobs, it will also bring big changes to the area,...
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S2E3: The unique challenge of bringing broadband to rural America
Rural America disproportionately lacks access to high-speed broadband, an essential component of modern life. Though the issue—and many attempts to address it—go back much farther, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriated $42.5 billion for the Broadband Equity, Access, and...
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S2E2: Will offshore wind be good for Humboldt County, California?
In late 2022, the federal government auctioned off ocean access near the coast of Humboldt County, California to develop an offshore wind installation. This major industrial project could produce 6% of the state's current energy needs just in its initial stage. In this episode, Tony Pipa visits...
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S2E1: A modern twist on company towns
The history of rural America includes "company towns," where one employer controlled pretty much everything in town, from retail to housing to jobs, to get as much as possible out of their workers. The fortunes of many rural communities remain closely tied to a major employer even today, and Tony...
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Season Two of Reimagine Rural is coming soon
Season two of Reimagine Rural podcast debuts soon, with host Tony Pipa once again visiting small towns from coast to coast and collecting the stories of local leaders with a focus on how they're trying to take advantage of major new opportunities available in today's economy. That often means...
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S1E9: Bonus episode: Local stories from listeners
We planned only eight episodes of Reimagine Rural, but we heard from so many listeners across the country that we couldn't help but share more. In this episode, host Tony Pipa speaks with listeners from four towns across the country to hear their stories of community revitalization: Lovington…
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S1E8: A recipe for a rural policy renaissance
In this episode, Tony Pipa reflects on lessons learned throughout his journeys across rural America. He hears from new and old friends about the most important elements of effective rural policy—investing in local leadership and capacity, improving coherence at the federal level, and investing in...
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S1E7: Connecting to family, community, and heritage in Eagle Butte, South Dakota
In this episode of Reimagine Rural, host Tony Pipa goes to Eagle Butte, South Dakota, anchor of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation and Tribe. We hear how local business owners, tribal administration, and leaders from the Four Bands Community Fund are working to build credit, foster creativity,...
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S1E6: Protecting community integrity during a creative transformation in West Virginia
In this episode of "Reimagine Rural," host Tony Pipa visits the neighboring towns of Thomas and Davis, West Virginia, former resource-dependent economies that have reinvented themselves as destinations for art and outdoor recreation. Tony speaks with long-time residents who saw the community's...
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S1E5: An entrepreneurial spark in DeWitt, Arkansas
In this episode of "Reimagine Rural," host Tony Pipa visits DeWitt, Arkansas, deep in the Mississippi Delta, where a failed biofuel project sparked a shift in the community's economic identity. Entrepreneurs share the stories of how their small businesses got off the ground and what their plans…
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S1E4: Building on a legacy of community resilience in Sunflower County, Mississippi
In this episode of "Reimagine Rural," Tony Pipa visits Drew and Moorhead, two towns in Sunflower County, Mississippi, once home to cotton plantations, where the country's history of slavery and the civil rights movement set the context for these rural towns and their path to renewal today. Local...
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S1E3: A visit to Washington, DC: The state of federal rural policy
In this episode of "Reimagine Rural," Tony Pipa speaks with key officials from the executive branch serving rural America. They discuss the current state of rural policy, its origins, and a blueprint for the future. We also hear from past and future guests about their needs and their...
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S1E2: Developing a resilient downtown in Globe, Arizona
In this episode of "Reimagine Rural," Tony Pipa speaks with homecomers who returned to a boom-and-bust copper mining town to revitalize its historic district. Despite pandemic-related setbacks, Globe, Arizona's small business renaissance is expanding into new community infrastructure and...
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S1E1: Transforming coal country in Shamokin, Pennsylvania
Shamokin, Pennsylvania is a former coal town on its way to becoming an outdoor recreation destination after decades of decline. In this episode of Reimagine Rural, Tony Pipa returns to his roots to learn how an abandoned mine remediation project is helping spur community renewal. He speaks with...
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Introducing Reimagine Rural, a new Brookings podcast featuring rural towns experiencing positive change
While the dominant narrative regarding rural America is one of decline and division, Reimagine Rural is a new podcast that visits rural towns across the United States that are experiencing positive change and explores how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The dominant narrative of rural America is often one of decline and division. On Reimagine Rural podcast, host Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America himself, visits rural places across the United States to hear local people tell the story of how they are enacting positive change in their communities and learning how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity.
HOSTED BY
The Brookings Institution
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Reimagine Rural have?
Reimagine Rural currently has 35 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Reimagine Rural about?
The dominant narrative of rural America is often one of decline and division. On Reimagine Rural podcast, host Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America himself, visits rural places across the United States to hear...
How often does Reimagine Rural release new episodes?
Reimagine Rural has 35 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Reimagine Rural?
You can listen to Reimagine Rural on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Reimagine Rural?
Reimagine Rural is created and hosted by The Brookings Institution.
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