Dissension in the Countryside: Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide with a New Rural Policy

Historical rural dominance in 19 th century has given way to strong urban-based growth in both Canada and the United States. This study assesses the transformation from rural- to urban-based economies, as well as the evolution towards a largely non-farm rural population that is usually lost in media accounts. Imperatives such as development of a largely export-oriented agricultural base has been largely replaced by priorities related to managing urban expansion and mitigating degradation at the rural- urban interface. Pervasive urbanization, technological change, and transportation improvements have fundamentally altered the relationship between cities and the countryside. In spite of the fact that the non- farm rural share of the total population has exhibited remarkable stability while the farm share has shrunk to about 2 to 3%, the decoupling of farm policy and rural-nonfarm policy has proven challenging. While there are many similarities between the two countries' government response to these forces, there are also key differences, especially with respect to constitutional differences as well as the spatial distribution of urban centers. We conclude by examining the extent to which national policies in each country meet the needs of the rural and exurban populations, and consider what would be required for rural policy to more appropriately address current environmental, land-use, infrastructure, and economic development concerns.