Community in Urban–Rural Systems

Gregory Fulkerson is professor and chair of sociology at the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Fulkerson, a sociologist whose work focuses on globalization, rurality, community, agriculture, and the environment, aims to promote systemic understanding of the relationships that tie together urban and rural areas. In this volume he explicates the issues surrounding the seeming powerlessness and dependence of rural areas in relation to urban areas in an urban-oriented global world. It brings together a wide range of literature relevant to how humans organize themselves economically, politically, and socially. An important dimension of this discussion is the concept of environmental sustainability. Including an extensive bibliography and a very good concluding chapter summarizing the arguments, this is an excellent work for both students of community and community development practitioners. Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals

• Introduction: Defining and Studying CommunityChapter 1: Urban-Rural SystemsChapter 2: Environmental DemographyChapter 3: Political EconomyChapter 4: CultureChapter 5: Social InteractionChapter 6: Built Environment and Spatial OrganizationChapter 7: Community ConnectionsChapter 8: Community Planning and DevelopmentConclusion: Toward Sustainability and Justice