Three main purposes underlie this work. First, this study describes key trends impacting towns, villages, and cities in New York's 44 rural counties. A second purpose is to specify which of these trends are most likely to represent challenges, or problems, to local leaders and decision makers to which ameliorative responses are both possible and viable. A third purpose, following Lincoln's maxim with which the chapter leads off, is to consider how community leaders and decision makers can, for example using existing planning tools, respond positively to such challenges.
At least two implications follow from these purposes. First, by becoming aware of potential problems facing local jurisdictions as soon as possible, various types of efficiencies in responses can be generated before the problems fester and enlarge. Second, if this approach to local trends and responses is recognized as meaningful, then this book could become a resource for future training on the issues of local planning and development.
Most people want better well-being for themselves and their families, and better quality of life in their communities. Community life-quality and personal well-being, however, have many facets to them. Their definitions intertwine, especially when put in the context of the social changes occurring in our society and communities. Certain recent social trends show more resources being brought into communities for generating well-being, while other trends signify more problems being generated. By examining a variety of social, economic, demographic, family, transportation, and planning trends in this document we can better understand which are which.

Continuing work over the years with NYS local and state officials stimulated me to undertake this work on towns. My work on counties, exemplified in my Socioeconomic Trends and Well-Being in NYS Counties: 150-2000 (with Kris Merschrod), was well received both at the state and local levels, so Ron Brach, executive director of the NYS Legislative Commission on Rural Resources suggested that I undertake this work as well. Local planning boards were identified as in special need for such work on social indicators and their impacts, and how to integrate them into local planning. Thus, this work was undertaken.

Nine of a projected 11 chapters of a book, to be published by the NYS Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, are nearly completed. These include chapters on: planning, transportation, demographics, employment, income and education, family and poverty, budget expenditures, and budget revenues. Target audiences will be reached through at least two conferences we (connected with the Rural Visioning project) are organizing, one with leaders of key legislative staffs as well as leaders of key statewide organizations in Albany, and a second for those who attended last year`s Rural Visioning Conference in Syracuse.

Many people in every county have become more aware of social trends and how they affect a variety of well-being indicators in their counties and towns. The effects are not short-term, or easily translated to dollars and cents. Most attendees at our conferences go away with a better sense of their own empowerment to deal with issues more effectively. In the case of Rural Visioning, state and local legislators as well as other local agency leaders have become conscious of, and in some cases, generated specific strategies for dealing with specific problems. In the case of the Rural Schools administrators from our BOCES conferences, participants produce specific plans for dealing with high school dropouts.

Comprehensive Planning in NYS towns

New York State Legislative Commission on Rural Resources funds the production and distribution of documents related to the Rural Visioning project.

• David L. Kay (Community and Rural Development Institute, Dept. of Development Sociology)
• Robin Blakely (Rural New York Initiative, and Community and Rural Development Institute, Dept. of Development Sociology)
• Prof. Max J. Pfeffer (Development Sociology)
• Charles C. Geisler (Development Sociology)
• Thomas A. Hirschl (Development Sociology)
• David L. Brown (Development Sociology)
• Joe D. Francis (Development Sociology)
• Linda Williams (Development Sociology)