ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the challenges facing planners and citizens grappling with finding a balance between short-term human needs and the longer term sustainability of the natural resource base. The integrated approach to regional development sought balance between social needs and the natural ecosystem. Without using die terms 'sustainability' or 'smart growth', the Regional Planning Association of America (RPAA) approach to planning was remarkably progressive and visionary. Coalition building in the regional planning arena, and especially when it involves distributional decisions in environmental or resource management, is rarely a simple process. Different strategies with alternative mechanisms to achieve compromise and consensus need to be crafted for individual settings. One of the problems facing rural regional planners are the mixed messages and inconsistencies in policies and programs from more senior federal or state/provincial partners. The key point for rural planners is how to tap into the changing ethos.
