Does New Brunswick's future lie solely in its cities (or maybe large towns as well)? Are rural areas destined to wither away? Is rural and urban New Brunswick irreconcilably in mutual opposition?

The answer is no. The aim of any government should be to try to govern for the province as a whole. This may seem an obvious statement, but is one worth repeating. It is true that cities are important drivers in the 21st century economy, but this does not mean rural New Brunswick is destined to die. The aim of policy-makers should be to promote both rural and urban New Brunswick, building links and ties between the two.

In regards to urban areas, for New Brunswick's three largest cities, as well as for smaller cities and towns, there needs to be an urban strategy – one that emphasizes sustainable urban development (curbing sprawl), investing in walkable neighbourhoods, mass transit and infrastructure, economic development, and combating poverty.

Walkable downtown-like neighbourhoods are becoming important drivers in the 21st century creative economy, something which authors and academics like Richard Florida have emphasized, with young professionals and entrepreneurs increasingly preferring walkable neighbourhoods with a rich street life. Loft-style facilities – found in downtown-like neighbourhoods – are increasingly popular for high-tech start-ups, in contrasts to suburban office parks.

Furthermore, downtown-like neighbourhoods are hubs of culture and creativity – creating places for artists, potential for arts and cultural festivals which are draws for young professionals and entrepreneurs, and which are important draws for tourists. Places like Uptown Saint John and downtown Fredericton hold great potential in this regard. There is also potential for revitalization and creation of downtown-like neighbourhoods to create new opportunities in arts, culture, and entrepreneurship, for example on Fredericton's northside – on Main and Union Street with streetscape imrpovements – and in Dieppe which, if it had a truly downtown area, could hold even greater potential as a hub of francophone Acadian culture.

For town and village centres, arts and cultural festivals would be an important step in making these places destinations for those from across the province and outside New Brunswick. The internet and social media offers new promotional tools as well (consider the #livelifeuptown hashtag on twitter for Saint John). There are also opportunities for the arts, crafts, and culture of First Nations communities to be important contributors in this regard.

Brattleboro, Vermont, has built a strong reputation as a hub of indie bands, the mining town of Park City, Utah, fuelled its revival on the Sundance independent film festival. In states like Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and in provinces like Prince Edward Island, rural areas and small towns are important destinations in their own right, for tourists, for cultural attractions (consider the whole story around the iconic Anne of Green Gables in Prince Edward Island). How New Brunswick's towns and villages – as well as cities – can become destinations should be a key priority for policy-makers.

What lies at the heart of a rural strategy for New Brunswick is the recognition of the inter-connections between cities, towns and rural areas, and recognition of the realities of the 21st century knowledge-based economy. This includes marketing New Brunswick based agriculture. For example, promoting niche markets such as healthy and environmentally sustainable food, and eating locally in the case of New Brunswick markets. Real Food Connections in Fredericton, which buys all its food products locally, plays an important role linking New Brunswick agricultural products to markets in the City of Fredericton – a key example of the mutually beneficial relationship between urban and rural New Brunswick.

Levi Lawrence of Real Food Connections, in a presentation to the provincial budget consultations, highlighted the economic benefits of promoting locally produced food, how $10 spent per household on locally produced food brings over $30 million in increased revenues for the province. He highlighted measures that could be taken by the provincial government, including requiring public organizations and agencies – such as schools, hospitals, and crown corporations – to buy at least a percentage of food products from New Brunswick producers.

Research on rural Ontario from the University of Toronto's Martin Prosperity Institute highlighted the importance of research and development in promoting the agricultural sector – with the example of the role of the University of Guelph in promoting the development of peach crops and wine production in Ontario's rural Niagara region. Potential avenues of cooperation between New Brunswick's universities and scientists with farmers should be explored – to promote the development of healthy and environmentally sustainable foods that can provide an important avenue of niche marketing for New Brunswick.

New Brunswick needs a comprehensive economic development strategy for the whole province, recognizing and building on inter-connections between rural and urban New Brunswick – in terms of food production and consumption, in recreational opportunities (making rural areas and towns destinations for urban New Brunswickers and vice versa), in building connections between universities, researchers, and farmers. Rural and urban are not mutually exclusive, but rather are complementary, a focus on both is needed.

This article, about the Canadian province of New Brunswick, originally appeared in the provincial newspaper, the Telegraph Journal.