Defining distress: Lessons from the Federally Chartered Regional Commissions

This new podcast from the Brookings Institution explores how rural towns across the U.S. are rewriting the dominant story of decline. Reimagine Rural, hosted by Tony Pipa, lifts up local voices from communities experiencing positive change and connects their stories to the role of public investment in building equitable prosperity. By grounding national policy debates in lived experience, the series underscores how strategic investment can spark adaptation, resilience, and renewed opportunity in rural places. At Aspen CSG, we see this kind of storytelling as vital: shifting the narrative from what rural lacks to how communities are leading — and reminding us that policy works best when it’s rooted in real people and places.