John Hagel and John Seely Brown’s work re: innovation clusters, and their draw of the populace to them, is spot on; to my way of thinking, there is also a countervailing force now occurring¹. As fast-enough broadband² has proliferated both in the US³ and globally^{4 5} to smaller towns, they have been rewriting their core narratives⁶. I will be interested in seeing how small town congregations re-envision themselves, especially in light of the nexus of eldercare and this⁷.

1. Brain gain in rural Minnesota
2. What Kind Of Speed Matters for Broadband’s Economic Development Impact? – Strategic Network Group
3. Community Network Map – Institute for Local Self-Reliance
4. Animated map reveals the 550,000 miles of cable hidden under the ocean that power the internet – Business Insider
5. Broadband for the Rural North #B4RN
6. Toward a new narrative: How the Center for Small Towns crafts a different rural story
7. The US uncompensated volunteerism industry