Counterurbanisation: International case studies of socio-economic change in the rural areas

Abstract

This study is concerned with counter-urbanization which is defined as the tendency for households to move from urban to rural areas in developed countries. The work is in four parts. the first we explore some of the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding the concept of counter-urbanisation as urban to rural movement is often called. The second part summarises the results of a major survey carried out by the authors into the economic social and cultural effects of pre-retirement age migration into West Cornwall an example of the turnaround from long-drawn-out population decline to sudden expansion. Section three examines some other regions in Britain [Ireland] France and America that have undergone apparently similar experiences. In our final section we try to organise and interpret our findings as a guide for future action. (EXCERPT)