New ideas for rural prosperity in the South

Across the South, some 34 percent of residents live in rural areas, according to a new report by the Southern Growth Policies Board (www.southern.org). It says while progress is being made in rural areas, more needs to be done to close the gap. Otherwise, the split between the metropolitan haves and the rural have-nots will continue to worsen.

The report, called "The New Architecture for Rural Prosperity," essentially calls for rural areas to work together - - to collaborate - - to generate smart, economic development opportunities.

"If the rural South is to enjoy sustained prosperity, then its economic development architecture must be perceived whole and understood in all its diversity," the report says. "It must be esigned and managed as an integrated enterprise."

Bottom line, according to a newspaper column by BetterSouth's Andy Brack: For the rural South to have more prosperity, it's going to have to take the bull by the horns and work together, pool resources and pool its strengths. State lawmakers can help by seeding worthy projects. In the long run, targeted state rural investments will pay off more than anyone can guess.