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Rixt A. Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. How people move to rural areas: Insights in the residential search process from a diary approach. Journal of Rural Studies 2015, 38, 77 -88.
AMA StyleRixt A. Bijker, Tialda Haartsen, Dirk Strijker. How people move to rural areas: Insights in the residential search process from a diary approach. Journal of Rural Studies. 2015; 38 ():77-88.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRixt A. Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. 2015. "How people move to rural areas: Insights in the residential search process from a diary approach." Journal of Rural Studies 38, no. : 77-88.
The urban and the rural are increasingly interconnected. Rural areas have become places of consumption, as leisure and recreation have become important functions of rural areas. There are also indications that increased urbanisation even leads to a stronger appreciation of green areas situated far beyond city limits. Rural areas with their highly valued natural amenities nowadays seem increasingly to host urban wellbeing, given the positive relation found between green areas and human wellbeing. We provide empirical evidence for this urban–rural interconnection, using results from a survey in the Netherlands. In addition to their attachment to local and regional green places, survey results show that residents of the capital city of Amsterdam have a high appreciation of a wide range of natural, rural places throughout the country. We argue that these (until now invisible) urban–rural ties should be made more visible because these natural areas enjoyed by urban residents can no longer be taken for granted. Financial and other support for nature conservation are therefore needed. However, to organise support for nature can often be problematic because nature is a public good and collective action is often difficult to launch. The invisible and distant ties of urban dwellers for rural areas complicate the task even more. Nevertheless, it is increasingly recognised that the Internet opens many doors for community building and may help to overcome the “illogic” of collective action. In the research project “Sympathy for the Commons”, we aim to investigate the possibilities provided by the internet by building online communities around nature areas and enquiring into the available support and funding that these communities can provide.
Rixt A. Bijker; Nora Mehnen; Frans J. Sijtsma; Michiel N. Daams. Managing Urban Wellbeing in Rural Areas: The Potential Role of Online Communities to Improve the Financing and Governance of Highly Valued Nature Areas. Land 2014, 3, 437 -459.
AMA StyleRixt A. Bijker, Nora Mehnen, Frans J. Sijtsma, Michiel N. Daams. Managing Urban Wellbeing in Rural Areas: The Potential Role of Online Communities to Improve the Financing and Governance of Highly Valued Nature Areas. Land. 2014; 3 (2):437-459.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRixt A. Bijker; Nora Mehnen; Frans J. Sijtsma; Michiel N. Daams. 2014. "Managing Urban Wellbeing in Rural Areas: The Potential Role of Online Communities to Improve the Financing and Governance of Highly Valued Nature Areas." Land 3, no. 2: 437-459.
Migration into rural areas is often explained in terms of the rural idyll, the attraction of the countryside with its less hurried way of life in a quiet, spacious and green environment. However, this migration phenomenon has mostly been researched in attractive, amenity-rich, popular rural areas. This paper investigates the characteristics and motivations of migrants to less-popular rural areas using survey data (N = 664) for four municipalities in the North of the Netherlands. Our study shows a young group of in-migrants with relatively low incomes, but also a large proportion of working people and a considerable number of highly educated movers. Separating the motivations for choosing to live in a rural area in general from the motivations for choosing this specific rural area reveals that while the pull of the rural idyll is an important motivation for moving to a rural area in general, the reasons for choosing the specific rural area are a mixture of housing characteristics, the physical qualities of the environment, personal reasons and the low house prices in the area. Combining the motivations with the characteristics of the movers reveals the diversity within the movers group. Our analysis shows a group of movers motivated to live close to family and friends, consisting of return migrants, singles, the youngest and oldest age groups and also the lowest income group. The physical qualities of the environment attract a group of highly educated movers, people with high incomes and people aged between 35 and 64. The motivation of housing characteristics, referring in most cases to the availability of a specific house, is mentioned by a wide range of movers, but in particular by people moving from urban areas.
Rixt A. Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. Migration to less-popular rural areas in the Netherlands: Exploring the motivations. Journal of Rural Studies 2012, 28, 490 -498.
AMA StyleRixt A. Bijker, Tialda Haartsen, Dirk Strijker. Migration to less-popular rural areas in the Netherlands: Exploring the motivations. Journal of Rural Studies. 2012; 28 (4):490-498.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRixt A. Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. 2012. "Migration to less-popular rural areas in the Netherlands: Exploring the motivations." Journal of Rural Studies 28, no. 4: 490-498.
Counterurbanisation is often conceptualised as urban, middle‐class movers attracted by an idyllic rural setting. However, knowing that rural areas differ in their popularity for living, we argue that more attention is required to the diversity of rural in‐migration within countries. We do so by comparing the characteristics, motivations, and values of movers to popular and less‐popular areas in the northern Netherlands using multivariate analysis on survey data (N = 1,717). In contrast to earlier studies, we focus on the motivations for choosing the destination area instead of mixing those with motives for leaving. We also included residential history and values in our analysis. The differences between movers to the two types of areas appear to be less distinct than indicated by previous studies. Although popular areas more often attract middle‐class movers, both areas attract urban movers. Movers to less‐popular areas are more often motivated by low house prices and moving in with a partner, but movers to popular areas also mention instrumental considerations related to work and location. While the physical aspects of the environment are important to moving to popular areas, social aspects are more important to moving to less‐popular areas. We find that values add to our understanding of counterurbanisation. It is not possible to relate two distinct groups of movers directly to different types of rural areas within countries. Future research into rural migration should be careful not to use too simplified understandings of counterurbanisation, both in general and with regard to different types of rural areas. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rixt Anke Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. Different Areas, Different People? Migration to Popular and Less-Popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands. Population, Space and Place 2012, 19, 580 -593.
AMA StyleRixt Anke Bijker, Tialda Haartsen, Dirk Strijker. Different Areas, Different People? Migration to Popular and Less-Popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands. Population, Space and Place. 2012; 19 (5):580-593.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRixt Anke Bijker; Tialda Haartsen; Dirk Strijker. 2012. "Different Areas, Different People? Migration to Popular and Less-Popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands." Population, Space and Place 19, no. 5: 580-593.
Migration into rural areas in Western countries is often explained by the pull of the rural idyll for urban, middle‐class migrants. Although previous research has shown that this counter‐urbanisation model is insufficient to explain rural immigration in sparsely populated countries, this paper shows that also within core regions, more diverse conceptualisations of migration into rural areas are required. This is achieved by distinguishing popular, average, and less‐popular rural living areas in the northern Netherlands, on the basis of average house prices, and by analysing the migration flows to these areas. Data from Housing Research of the Netherlands demonstrate that popular rural areas attract more highly educated people and people moving from urban areas compared with less‐popular and average rural areas. For movers to less‐popular areas, being near to family and friends is more important. The characteristics of the movers to popular rural areas fit very well with the counter‐urbanisation story. Less‐popular rural areas in the Netherlands share personal reasons as an important motivation for in‐migration with more remote rural areas in Europe. This indicates that conceptualisations of periphery and remoteness have to be considered within the local, regional, and national context. Research into rural population change in both core regions and sparsely populated countries should consider these different contexts to be able to acknowledge the variety in the way amenities and peripherality are perceived by different groups of people. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rixt Anke Bijker; Tialda Haartsen. More than Counter-urbanisation: Migration to Popular and Less-popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands. Population, Space and Place 2011, 18, 643 -657.
AMA StyleRixt Anke Bijker, Tialda Haartsen. More than Counter-urbanisation: Migration to Popular and Less-popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands. Population, Space and Place. 2011; 18 (5):643-657.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRixt Anke Bijker; Tialda Haartsen. 2011. "More than Counter-urbanisation: Migration to Popular and Less-popular Rural Areas in the Netherlands." Population, Space and Place 18, no. 5: 643-657.