Routledge Rural Housing, Exurbanization, and Amenity-Driven Development: Contrasting the 'Haves' and the 'Have Nots' (Perspectives on Rural Policy and Planning)

Rural America is progressing through a dramatic and sustained post-industrial economic transition. For many, traditional means of household sustenance gained through agriculture, mining and rustic tourism are giving way to large scale corporate agriculture, footloose and globally competitive manufacturing firms, and mass tourism on an unprecedented scale. These changes have brought about an increased presence of affluent amenity migrants and returnees, as well as growing reliance on low-wage, seasonal jobs to sustain rural household incomes. This book argues that the character of rural housing reflects this transition and examines this using contemporary concepts of exurbanization, rural amenity-based development, and comparative distributional descriptions of the "haves" and the "have nots". Despite rapid in-migration and dramatic changes in land use, there remains a strong tendency for communities in rural America to maintain the idyllic small-town myth of large-lot, single-family home-ownership. This neglects to take into account the growing need for affordable housing (both owner-occupied and rental properties) for local residents and seasonal workers. This book suggests that greater emphasis be placed in rural housing policies that account for this rapid social and economic change and the need for affordable rural housing alternatives. Review 'This book demonstrates that the problems and challenges of rural areas and rural housing are not uniform. As industrialized nations become more affluent, exurban, and driven by amenity centered development, we are increasingly asked to develop rural housing and growth policies that must address the challenges of both have and have not towns and regions. This book therefore paints a picture of a complex rural challenge. Urban planners, in particular, should pay close attention to this book’s findings and recommendations, as this books shows that planning has failed thus far to adequately address the challenges of our rural areas.' Charles Connerly, University of Iowa, USA 'Here is a collection of essays that captures both the diversity of contemporary rural America and the growing disparity in rural communities and their housing conditions. Marcouiller, Lapping and Furuseth have pulled together an impressive group of researchers who together provide a broad account of housing in the changing rural landscape, from amenity-rich areas where population growth and upscale, often second home, housing are the story, to rural communities struggling to adapt to economic decline where old housing stock can be had very cheap, to those chronically poor areas where low income households struggle to find affordable, livable housing in areas that have seen underinvestment for decades. The book will be useful to housing and community developers as well as students in planning, development or social policy.' Mil Duncan, Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire and author of Worlds Apart 'While rural places are haves and have-nots in varying degrees, there are common categories, defined in this book, which will make conversations surrounding this topic more meaningful. I strongly recommend the book for academic libraries.' Journal of Regional Science 'As a whole, this book is a well-written presentation of the contemporary situations of rural America, an insight into th About the Author David Marcouiller is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, Mark Lapping is Distinguished Professor of the Muskie School of Public Policy and Management Planning at the University of Southern Maine, USA, and Owen Furuseth is Associate Provost for Metropolitan Studies and Academic Programs at the University of North Carolina, USA