Views from Up High—Perspectives on Community Planning and Local Governance in the Scottish Highlands and North Carolina High Country

ABSTRACT: An exploratory study of rural mountain regions in Scotland and North Carolina used a matched-pair multiple case design to consider rural and small-town community planning and local governance, and to understand and compare perceived assets and strengths as well as challenges facing communities in these two regions. Key informants who sat for interviews included planning and related professionals, community leaders, and anonymous residents in 12 towns, revealing some consistent themes and distinctive differences across regions and roles. Notably, housing, employment, access to services, and traffic congestion and parking were universal concerns in these rural and small-town settings, while self-sufficiency, community identity, and attachment to the rural landscape were dominant positive themes. The commonly reported challenges (housing, employment, congestion) are often framed as urban problems—but clearly afflict these rural and small-town settlements.