On the topic of development...

So on the topic of development...

Thursday we had a lecture with the professor of Globalization at Hedmark University College about development and sustainability in rural areas in Norway, otherwise, community development. (In case you aren't aware, rural areas comprise the majority of the country of Norway).
A basic outline of her lecture:

There are a lot of rural areas in Norway; there are a lot of people living in rural areas, and they want to keep them there. When all the people move into the cities, it makes for overpopulation, and more poverty, etc. Plus, it leaves a lot of available land empty.
So, how do you keep people in rural areas? Make things available to them. The project that this woman has been working on is the "General Store". The Norwegian local and regional government helps fund and establish locally-owned General stores in sparsely populated areas that offer services like post, grocery, clothes, hair-cutting, recycling stations etc. So that people can stay there. They also can provide delivery and escort services for elderly who can't leave their homes on their own to get groceries, run errends, etc.

So anyone that lives over 30km away from the nearest General store, will get their own General store with these services available.

This helps keep people living where they WANT to live, and encourages growth and sustainability of small rural communities. It also helps keep the elderly at home, and not force them into a nursing home if their families are elsewhere.

As an Iowa girl, I thought this was incredibly interesting. Those of you who know what I mean: Would this kind of thing be successful in Iowa? Could the Iowa government fund sustainability for small farm communities--and in doing so lessen the dependency on automobiles to go to towns far away just to get groceries, especially in the winter months? Would it be cheaper/easier/or BETTER, if nothing else, for the government to help fund services for the large number of elderly that live in Iowa, rather than make it a fend-for-yourself type of thing? Would these things even be possible?

I thought this idea was revolutionary--it made me look at my home community differently.


And speaking of development in your home communities...

PLU is expanding into the community, and perhaps starting positive development for Parkland.
When I first came to PLU, I was surprised to find the University where I found it. My thoughts while trying to find the University: hmm ok, we're getting into the more seedy neighborhood...oh, there's raunchy tatoo joint.. and what, is this the parking lot? WOAH there's a campus right in front of me!

Now, I guess, PLU has moved the bookstore into the community on Garfield St. (The street I drove down that first time) and started to make more of an announcement of its presence. Apparently now there is more of a college-campus-community feeling around PLU. Which is nice.

What made me realize this (since I obviously haven't been there) was this article: http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/168084.html

If you're interested in PLU or know/want to know anything about what it's like, check it out. It made me actually kind of excited to go back and experience a little positive transformation in the once seedy slum that is my campus home.

It was especially interesting for me to read, after talking about community development. It made me think about some of the opportunities that are out there to make the world just a little nicer for the people living in it...