Rural Iowa continues to lose population. How some small towns are working to "shrink smart"

Professor David Peters was interviewed by The Gazette for the story "Rural Iowa continues to lose population. How some small towns are working to ‘shrink smart’," which focuses on how some small Iowa towns are continuing to thrive despite population loss. Peters told The Gazette that there is an immediate need to understand the impacts of COVID-19 in rural communities, especially in hard-hit meatpacking towns dominated by people of color. There also is a need to better understand how rural quality of life is maintained in the face of population loss, and how small towns can promote social integration between longtime residents and new people of color.