Chris mentioned energy cascading. The integrated energy isn't about the same kind of integrated energy in every community, so the rural example would be cascading with local agriculture. There is energy opportunity in local agriculture. Whereas in a city with a light industry you might get heat from a factory, with agriculture you could use animal waste or other products to generate energy and create fuels. In a large city you would have nodes with a large-capacity public transit. That wouldn't be a part of the solution in a small community, so there are aspects of it that apply.
On March 31st, 2009. See this statement in context.