Common Ground: An Examination of Rural Planning and the Growing Amish Presence in Missouri

Abstract

How do rural communities in Missouri balance the potentially conflicting land use and economic planning needs between incoming and growing Amish populations and non-Amish populations? This qualitative research addresses a gap in the literature by examining the growing Amish population in rural America through the lens of community planning. A comparative case study was conducted in three Amish communities in Missouri and included interviews with public officials who engage in planning and planning-related tasks and an Amish leader at each case site. This project finds that Amish growth and expansion is resulting in both community conflicts and collaborative efforts in rural areas. The project culminates in the development of implications that planners might consider in order to actualize better outcomes for rural communities in the midst of the growth of this ethnoreligious group.

Department(s)

Geography, Geology, and Planning

Document Type

Article

Rights Information

This Original Research Article is brought to you for free and open access by IdeaExchange@UAkron, the institutional repository of The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, USA. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies by an authorized administrator of IdeaExchange@UAkron.

Keywords

Amish landscape, Rural land use change, Rural planning, Seymour, MO, Jamesport, MO, Clark, MO

Publication Date

8-12-2022

Journal Title

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

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