Rural-Urban Interdependencies: Thinking through the Implications of Space, Leisure, Politics and Health

Abstract

The collective experience of social distancing will undoubtedly have implications for our social, cultural, and political practices. In this critical commentary, I consider the implications of these experiences by focusing on rural-urban relationships in Canada. Drawing from accounts published in online newspapers, I reflect on how social distancing highlights the interdependencies of urban and rural Canada and the role of space and leisure in shaping our broader social and political discourse. Reflecting on issues related to class, space, mobility, and freedom of choice, I suggest that rural-urban interdependencies is a productive framework for considering these relationships and how we might re-think them moving forward. In conclusion, I offer hopeful speculations on how social distancing may indeed bring us closer together.