"It was easier for me to get to China than to get back to my hometown."Urbanization is not just a geographical migration, it is also a cultural one. Erin Malone, Communications Director at Forward Together Hometown Connect, is one of the millions of people in the US who has fled their rural birthplace in order to pursue a career in a bigger city. In her talk, she explains how our political and social reality is jeopardized when small towns are left in decline, and offers solutions that could create a bridge between both rural and urban environments.