Report on Appalachia’s Rural-Urban Continuum and Strategies for Expanding Market Access

In August of 2013, CAN hosted a “CAN Tank” event which brought together regional economic development leaders to address the challenge of expanding market access for rural-based enterprises and economic sectors. In preparation for this event, CAN partnered with Brian Dabson of the University of Missouri’s Institute of Public Policy to conduct research on the rural-urban continuum and its implications for sustainable development work in Appalachia.

Dabson’s report provides a thorough review of the literature on the rural-urban continuum, and exploration of rural-urban economic connections in and around Appalachia, and recommendations for increasing these rural-urban connections. Click here to download Dabson’s full report for CAN. You can also access an overview of Dabson’s findings and his “Seven Steps” recommendations by clicking here.

Based on input from 50+ leading market development practitioners who participated in the CAN Tank, we produced a briefing paper containing a set of concrete strategies for “Expanding Market Access for Rural Enterprises.”