Rural intentional communities withdraw from mainstream urban space, rejecting its materialism and consumption. In creating their own places in the countryside, they produce new spaces of rurality. Constructions of rurality by intentional communities can be perceived as "out of place" by local populations. This article draws on a wider…

A model of intervention for enhancing cohesiveness among community members who hold different political orientations due to the threat of relocation is presented. Residents of communities in the Golan Heights, Israel, were divided into two subgroups according to their political orientations: pro-peace versus pro-territories. The intervention model…

Small communities require the services of professionals such as doctors and teachers, but most professionals are trained in metropolitan areas. Urban-trained professionals are seldom prepared for the social and cultural differences that confront them when they move to rural communities. Such newcomers frequently experience culture shock--the…

Case study describes a depressed rural New York community that became a migration destination for urban poor people, causing dramatic increases in poverty rate, welfare rolls, and service needs. In-migrants were attracted by low-income housing and, because of their limited job skills, were not deterred by lack of jobs. Discusses community impacts…