Ellen Wolter doesn’t see rural and urban communities as worlds apart. To her, a divide between the two spaces is more imagined than real.
“Rural and urban areas are often discussed as separate and distinct entities — which is important for illuminating disparities or unique needs — but this tells an incomplete story,” says Wolter, Extension leadership and civic engagement educator. “In reality, rural sociologists describe the so-called rural-urban divide as not a divide at all, but rather ‘an interdependent space of intense social, economic, political and environmental interaction.”
Rewriting the narrative
Wolter wanted to start a new kind of conversation — one that shows rural and urban areas are connected and dependent on each other and are navigating many of the same challenges. In 2024, she launched the Side by Side podcast, which explores how rural and urban communities depend on each other, from energy and food to policy and education.
Wolter brings a personal connection to the podcast. “As someone who grew up in rural areas, lived in urban communities for 20 years, and recently moved back to central Minnesota, I see firsthand the interdependence between rural and urban spaces,” she says.
Bringing people together
Julie Tesch and Jake Loesch also want to change the idea that rural and urban areas are completely separate. Tesch, president and CEO of the Center for Rural Policy and Development (CRPD), and Loesch, executive director of Citizens League, co-lead Interconnected: Rural-Urban Conversations. The series of live online discussions explores how the challenges and opportunities of rural and urban areas are interconnected, bringing together participants for research-informed conversations.
“We’re in our fifth year,” Tesch says. “Just sitting and talking together — that’s the purpose of the series.”
Folks often discuss issues that both rural and urban communities face. “Transportation, housing, healthcare, workforce, affordability,” says Loesch, “these are things all of us deal with, but solutions look different for rural and urban areas.”
Both Tesch and Loesch were also guests on Wolter’s podcast. They shared what they’ve gained from the series, including the importance of collaborating between rural and urban communities, breaking down stereotypes, and fostering nuanced conversations.
Challenging stereotypes
While stereotypes of rural and urban spaces persist in media and culture, Wolter says they are often untrue. “Rural places are often stereotyped as being a place that is all the same — full of white farmers who all have the same political leanings,” she says. “But rural places are actually much more racially, ethnically, culturally, and politically diverse than many people realize.” There’s an old adage, ‘If you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community.’ I love that because it’s so true.”
Urban areas, on the other hand, are “often stereotyped as soulless, crime-ridden areas that don’t have communities and social support systems,” Wolter says. “And yet, community is built in urban areas — the same way it is built in small communities — you just do it in a neighborhood or apartment complex.”
Seeing the connections
Trade and infrastructure also connect rural and urban spaces. “There is a constant flow of goods, services, and finances across rural and urban areas,” Wolter says. “Food grown, produced, and manufactured in rural areas is sold in grocery stores across the state and country. And urban areas serve as a market for rural areas to sell goods and services, often produced through agriculture, energy, and natural resources.”
Additionally, Wolter says the flow of people links rural and urban areas. “Many folks educated in rural spaces often go to jobs in urban spaces, because this is where economic opportunities exist. The urban workforce relies on folks educated in rural areas—and vice versa.”
Furthermore, urban areas rely on rural areas for water. “For example, Minneapolis and St. Paul get their municipal water from the Mississippi River,” says Wolter. “The water quality of urban areas in Minnesota rely on the quality of water upstream coming from rural areas of the state.”
Relying on each other
Wolter hopes the Side by Side podcast helps listeners have a clearer understanding of the connections between rural and urban communities. “I hope they can use the information to integrate this lens into their work — whether it is research, policy, a program, or their own individual exploration to reach out and visit a place they have never been before,” she says.
Tesch says her life’s work is to bring people together to talk about the shared commonalities, and deep interdependence, between rural and urban communities. “I know in my soul that we have to depend on each other.”