Some rural Iowa communities continue to lose population, but by 'shrinking smart' that doesn't have to be all bad news

Grand Mound Hometown Pride Committee member
Sarah Beuthien. (Photo by Savannah Blake, The Gazette)

As many rural towns in Iowa face decreasing populations, some opt to use "shrink smart" planning to improve citizens' quality of life while maintaining services, reports Tom Baron of The Gazette in Cedar Rapid, Iowa. The approach began as a project. "Iowa State's rural smart shrinkage project received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to build upon a 2017 pilot study examining whether there were towns in Iowa that have lost population but perception of quality of life has remained stable or improved."

The project focused on "learning from six rural Iowa towns (Elma, Sac City, Bancroft, Corning, Mt. Ayr and Everly) where active, dedicated residents — called 'local champions' — are collaborating to maintain and boost quality of life" Barton writes. "The team found that, among other factors, social infrastructure plays a major role in whether residents report greater quality of life." Kimberly Zarecor, a professor of architecture who is leading an Iowa State University research project, advised towns to expend resources on community building vs. trying to "lure more families and employers to sparsely populated rural areas." Studied communities who adopted the shrink smart approach built on "quality-of-life initiatives-- such as trails, community events, fitness options and child care — [that] are typically low-cost and in local control, Zarecor said."

David Peters, a rural sociologist with ISU Extension and coordinator of the Iowa Small Towns Project, used Grand Mound, "a town of a little more than 600 people in Clinton County near the eastern edge of the state," as an example, Barton reports. "Grand Mound has experienced setbacks. The local school closed along with the local grocery store, restaurants and bars. Yet, the town has managed to maintain a relatively high quality of life, Peters said. Grand Mound has seen slower population loss than other small towns in the state but has higher social capital. Residents surveyed. . . . said they felt much more involved in decisions and feel the town is supportive and trusting of new projects and ideas. Peter told Barton, "In short, (Grand Mound) is a moderately shrinking place with a high and growing quality of life."