Rural and urban communities are often studied as separate places despite their deep social, economic, and political interdependence. This poster presents findings from a preliminary scoping review examining how U.S.-based community development and regional planning scholarship conceptualizes and studies rural–urban interdependence. Of 444 articles identified, only nine met the inclusion criteria, revealing limited attention to reciprocal rural–urban relationships and community outcomes within these fields. Findings suggest that U.S.-based community development and regional planning scholarship has limited examination of rural–urban linkages, particularly regarding social capital, reciprocal relationships, and how rural assets contribute to urban community development. Although additional scholarship may exist in fields such as economics, natural resources, or other disciplines, the limited representation of rural–urban interdependence within community development and regional planning highlights an important gap in how these fields conceptualize and examine connections across places.These preliminary findings identify important opportunities for future research, policy, and practice that strengthen equitable rural–urban partnerships and advance community development across places.
