The popularity of small towns in current nostalgia does not seem to match the treatment they receive at the hands of planners. Small towns have not been ignored by planners, but they have not fared very well in many community development efforts. Failure on the part of planners to recognize small towns as small towns, rather than little cities, is a prime factor. Other analytical and methodological errors can be traced to the common misunderstanding of what actually is a small town. Case studies discussed here, including Dunbar and Stump Creek (both in Pennsylvania), and others, demonstrate concrete instances of this failure, and point to new directions. In particular, the efforts of the Institute on Man and Science, while still experimental and unrefined, offer alternatives to the conventional planning treatment.