rural communities

State & Hill

25 years of CLOSUP

Apr 11, 2026

When the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission faced a tidal wave of public input—more than 30,000 comments—the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and Ford School students stepped in. Their analysis helped the commiss...

News

Government of, by and for people? Sure, but it needs more people to serve, U-M survey finds

Apr 8, 2026

Abraham Lincoln famously spoke of a government of, by and for the people. Yet it's getting harder to find people to serve in government, according to a survey of local leaders across Michigan. The findings come in the latest installment of the Michig...

Government of, by and for people? Sure, but it needs more people to serve, U-M survey finds

Publication

Fiscal stress rising among Michigan communities, particularly in small, rural towns, U-M survey finds

Dec 17, 2025

Fewer than half of Michigan's smaller and more rural communities report good fiscal health, reflecting a trend of rising financial stress among local governments across the state and growing concerns about having enough money to keep up with increase...

Fiscal stress rising among Michigan communities, particularly in small, rural towns, U-M survey finds

News

Trust falls among Michigan’s local officials that residents can be responsible partners in policymaking

Nov 19, 2025

The trust Michigan's local leaders have that the residents they serve can responsibly participate in the policymaking process has eroded to alarmingly low levels. Further, the officials' assessments of the tone of civil discourse among residents has ...

Concerns about elected officials’ budgeting expertise emerges from survey of Michigan community leaders

MPPS in the news

Biden Wants to Send Billions to Rural America, but This Must Happen First

May 26, 2024 The New York Times

President Biden regularly emphasizes how the major pieces of legislation he has signed — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — expand opportunities for Americans. This is especially tr...

MPPS in the news

Rural Prosperity Summit 2024 Recap

May 23, 2024 MI Office of Rural Prosperity

Over 275 attendees representing 91 rural Michigan communities attended the first-ever Michigan Rural Prosperity Summit on May 20, 2024. The Summit, hosted by the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity, featured 19 speakers and panelists over 10 sessions...

MPPS in the news

Local Government Officials’ Assessments of Community Poverty in the Upper Peninsula

May 15, 2024 Rural Insights

Local government leaders in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.) are more likely to report significant unmet needs among their residents for anti-poverty resources compared with local leaders in the Lower Peninsula. U.P. leaders are also more likely to ...

MPPS in the news

What’s in it for rural? Analyzing the opportunities for rural America in IIJA, CHIPS, and IRA

Dec 18, 2023 Brookings

By passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the 117th Congress approved over a trillion dollars in immediate appropriations and nearly $600 billion more in au...

In the Media

Ford School hosts talk on uplifting rural communities

Nov 16, 2023 The Michigan Daily

About 60 University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor community members gathered in Weill Hall Wednesday evening to listen to a conversation about rural communities and sustainability in the United States. Hosted by the Center for Local, State, and ...

MPPS in the news

Michigan Public Policy Survey: UP Local Government Leaders Most Likely to Report Housing Shortages

Sep 20, 2023 Rural Insights

Concerns among local government leaders in the Upper Peninsula about housing shortages in their communities have more than doubled since 2017. Today, 59% of officials from U.P. cities, villages, and townships say they have too little single-family ho...

News

Mills surveys Michigan farmers, finds wind turbines have positive impact on landowners

Nov 17, 2016

Sarah Mills of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy surveyed more than 1,200 farm landowners throughout 14 townships in Michigan to find out how farmers are impacted by wind energy turbines on their land. Mills found landowners with wind tur...

Michigan News release: In climate policy, Americans want states to pick up federal slack

CLOSUP Lecture Series

Rural Resilience: Stories of Hope and Innovation

Nov 15, 2023, 6:00-7:00 pm EST

Weill Hall, Betty Ford Classroom 1110

Join us for an intimate conversation between two leading voices for rural prosperity as they share experiences visiting rural communities across the country, and highlight inspiring stories from within the state of Michigan.

MPPS

Smaller and more rural Michigan local governments are struggling with increased fiscal stress

December 17, 2025

This report presents Michigan local government leaders' assessments of their jurisdictions' fiscal conditions and the actions they plan to take in the coming year, given their financial situations. These findings are based on statewide surveys of loc...

Case Studies

Rural Economic Diversification and Fiscal Stability: A Case Study of Lake County, MI

September 12, 2025

Yu-Yu Lin, Steve Kraft

This case study provides an in-depth analysis of the fiscal health and economic condition of Lake County, a rural Michigan community with a tourism-based economy. The county government’s fiscal position is stable in the short term, characterized by s...

Case Studies

Legacy, Land, and Unity: A Case Study of Idlewild, Michigan

September 12, 2025

Steve Kraft

This case study examines Idlewild, Michigan, a community of profound historic significance actively working to secure a sustainable future. The analysis finds that the path to economic revitalization hinges on navigating the complex challenges of for...

Case Studies

Exploring Internal Capacity Building Strategies in Small Municipalities: A Case Study of Evart, Michigan

September 12, 2025

Ava Hoffman

This case study investigates how capacity building can influence the fiscal health of small municipalities, focusing on the experience of Evart, Michigan. Evart faces challenges common to many rural communities, including limited financial resources,...

Case Studies

Fiscal Health in Rural Communities: A Case Study of Pine River Township, Michigan

September 9, 2022

Stephanie Leiser, Maximilian Hill, Margaret Walthall

This case study examines the fiscal health of Pine River Township, Michigan, a mostly rural community in central Michigan, using data from the Township’s audited financial reports. We find that Pine River Township has a sizable and growing General Fu...

Case Studies

Fiscal Health in Rural Counties: A Case Study of Ogemaw County, MI

September 9, 2022

Stephanie Leiser, Maximilian Hill

This case study examines the fiscal health of Ogemaw County, Michigan, a mostly rural county in the northeast lower peninsula of Michigan, using data from the County’s annual audited financial reports. We find that while Ogemaw County has struggled w...

MPPS

Close Up on the U.P.

September 2023

Debra Horner, Mia Brodeur, Katelyn Jasmin, Tristin Smith, Joseph Hubert

CLOSUP has partnered with the University of Michigan UP Scholars program and the online newsletter Rural Insights to use results from the Michigan Public Policy Survey to understand the unique experiences of local governments in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Sarah Mills: Exploring the impact of renewable energy on rural communities

Dec 16, 2020 0:17:41

Michigan Minds Podcast: Sarah Mills, senior research specialist and program manager at the Ford School of Public Policy and the Graham Sustainability Institute, discusses her research examining the impact of renewable energy on rural communities and ...

Sarah Mills: Exploring the impact of renewable energy on rural communities

Katherine Cramer: Listening to Strengthen Democracy

Oct 23, 2019 1:05:00

Katherine Cramer explains what she heard while inviting herself into the conversations of people in small communities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. October, 2019.

Katherine Cramer: Listening to Strengthen Democracy