Amenities And Rural Development

‘Overall, the book offers something for both academics and policy makers seeking to understand the complex issues of social change and governance facing amenity-rich areas. Its primary value for researchers is its account of the many challenges to empirical work in this area. Decision makers will see their own situations reflected in the case studies, and gain a greater understanding of the forces driving the different types of amenity-led development.’
– Gary Taylor, Journal of the American Planning Association

‘Scholars looking for an introduction to the relationship between amenities and rural development as a research topic will find this volume indispensable. The chapters cover the topic with considerable breadth, and the combined bibliographies provide the single most thorough resource on amenity-related research to date. The varied methodologies utilized for the empirical chapters in the volume will provide scholars with emerging interests in amenity-related development with a broad suite of approaches to employ in their work.’
– Peter B. Nelson, Growth & Change

‘This is a well-edited volume from Edward Elgar’s New Horizons in Environmental Economics series . . . One of the strengths of this book is its multidisciplinary focus with work by economists, sociologists, planners and geographers. It is also clear that, for the most part, the authors are well read across all of these disciplines . . . If you are interested in natural amenities and rural development, you should make this book a part of your permanent library.’
– Matthew Shumway, Papers in Regional Science

While many rural areas continue to experience depopulation and economic decline, others are facing rapid in-migration, as well as employment and income growth. Much of this growth is due to the presence and use of amenity resources, broadly defined as qualities of a region that make it an attractive place to live and work. Rather than extracting natural resources for external markets, these communities have begun to build economies based on promoting environmental quality. Amenities and Rural Development explores the paradigmatic shift in how we view land resources and the potential for development in amenity-rich rural regions.

Amenity-based growth can lead to several paths, based largely on proximity to urban areas and the type of development that occurs, whether it be seasonal residents, retirees, or tourism. The distributional implications of amenity-led development are an important consideration for policy, both within and between communities and regions. The contributors conclude that public policy needs to focus on maximizing complementary and supplementary uses while minimizing antagonistic uses of amenities.

Scholars and policymakers concerned with economic development and natural resource management will find this comprehensive volume of great interest.

Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The Supply of Natural Amenities: Moving from Empirical Anecdotes to a Theoretical Basis
3. Rural Amenities Policies: Future Stakes
4. Equity within Institutional Arrangements for the Supply of Rural Amenities
5. The Supply and Demand for Natural Amenities: An Overview of Theory and Concepts
6. Out-Migration from the Northeast US: The Relative Roles of Economic and Amenity Differentials
7. Amenities and Change in the Well-Being of Nonmetropolitan Localities
8. The Role of Wilderness and Public Land Amenities in Explaining Migration and Rural Development in the American Northwest
9. Regional Economic Growth with a Focus on Amenities
10. Impact of Outdoor Recreation Facilities on Remote Rural Income Growth
11. Recreation, Amenity Migration and Urban Proximity
12. Resident-Employed Photography as a Tool for Understanding Attachment to High-Amenity Places
13. Seasonal Residents: Members of Community or Part of the Scenery?
14. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Land-Use Planning Policies in Rapidly Growing High-Amenity Communities in the Rocky Mountain States
15. Managing Growth and Development in a Natural-Amenity-Rich Landscape: Landowner Attitudes Toward Planning in Northwestern Wisconsin
16. Raising the Gangplank: A Defense of Localism Aimed at Resource Protection
17. Amenity-Led Development of Rural Areas: The Example of the Regional Action Pilot Programme in Germany
18. Rural Policy Issues
19. Amenities and Rural Development: Policy Implications and Directions for the Future
Index

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