Changes in Community Rhetoric and Imagery of Rural Land Uses at the Urban Fringe: Douglas County from Strong to Slow Growth

Abstract

Growth and change at the rural-urban fringe of any urbanizing area creates heated debate. The way in which people talk about change is oftentimes through stories, using rhetoric and imagery to paint a picture of what is or ought to be. In this case study of Douglas County, Kansas, imagery and rhetoric of changing rural land uses is analyzed from planning documents, newspaper articles, and interviews with planners and commission members during two distinct time periods, one of high population growth (1995 to 1999), and one of slowing population growth (2005 to 2009). The researcher found that despite differing economic situations, much of the rhetoric between the two time periods was similar. The biggest difference, however, was in the different resource conflicts between the two time periods - water and soils, respectively. Despite the economic recession during the latter time period, much long-term planning resulted. What planner and city officials can learn from this research is that despite economic hardship, periods of slow population growth may be excellent windows for long-range planning to occur. These periods could be used to assess community resources, gather citizen input, and plan accordingly for what the community wants to be like in the future. Stories, in this way, may not just serve as rhetorical fodder. In this way, stories may influence land-use decisions made on a policy level, and consequently, the physical characteristics of a community itself.