All communities rely on physical spaces that are vital to the well-being of their citizens, such as grocery stores, recreational facilities and pharmacies.
All communities rely on physical spaces that are vital to the well-being of their citizens, such as grocery stores, recreational facilities and pharmacies. But what happens when these places are lost, especially in rural areas where no alternatives exist?
Two new studies led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Health and Human Development — one published in the journal Wellbeing, Space and Society and the other in the Journal of Rural Health — analyzed the experiences of residents in one such rural Pennsylvania community after the closure of several of these essential places.
Closures included a grocery store, bank, hardware store, church, primary care clinic, pharmacy and two restaurants — some due to population loss and some as the result of the pandemic.
Read More: Penn State University
In recent years, there has been population loss across much of rural America, researchers found. (Photo Credit: Lucas Gallone via Unsplash)
