Synopses & Reviews
Throughout history, humans have lived primarily in rural landscapes. In 2008, for the first time, the global population became predominantly urban. While much research has focussed on the impacts of increasing urbanisation, we have very little knowledge of the implications of these changes for rural landscapes. Global trends suggest populations in rural landscapes are, relatively speaking, in decline. Yet this broad trend is too simplistic and can be very misleading for researchers, land managers and policy makers. This generalisation often masks a much more complex and dynamic process of demographic change, with some rural areas increasing in popularity and experiencing new environmental pressures. The patterns of change can be broadly characterised in two ways: population decline and dissolving rural communities; and amenity-led in-migration (or counter-urbanisation) - a trend identified in developed regions such as North America and Australia. Both of these patterns have substantial implications for the management and sustainability of rural landscapes and communities. This book examines broad and local-scale patterns of demographic change in rural landscapes, identifying some of the drivers of these changes using local case studies, and outlining the implications of changes for society and the environment. The book adopts an interdisciplinary approach by explicitly linking demographic change with environmental, land-use, social and economic factors. The book will provide a useful resource for researchers and graduate students interested in urban development, sustainability science, landscape studies and demographic change, as well as environmental management, human and physical geography and rural sociology.
Review
From the reviews: "A valuable and highly informative collection which examines contemporary population dynamics in rural Australia, identifying some of the drivers of demographic change using case studies or international comparisons, and exploring the implications for rural areas, their residents and communities. ... a timely volume which will be of great interest to students, researchers, policy makers and planners from a wide range of disciplines, and those simply with an interest in the future of rural Australia, its people, communities and land." (Frances Rolley, Journal of Population Research, Vol. 29, 2012)
Synopsis
Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, this volume examines the patterns of demographic change in Australia's rural landscapes. The text uses case studies to illustrate the driving factors behind these changes, and outlines the impact they have on society and the environment.
Table of Contents
1. Patterns, drivers and implications of demographic change in rural landscapes; Digby Race, Gary W Luck, Rosemary Black.- 2. Amenity-led migration in rural Australia: A new driver of local demographic and environmental change?; Neil Argent, Matthew Tonts, Roy Jones, John Holmes.- 3. Sea- and tree-change phenomena in Far North Queensland, Australia: Impacts of land use change and mitigation potential; Iris C. Bohnet, Nicky Moore.- 4. Seeking trees or escaping traffic? Socio-cultural factors and ‘tree-change’ migration in Australia; Angela T Ragusa.- 5. Demographic change and rural nature; Gary W Luck.- 6. Agricultural areas under metropolitan threats: Lessons for Perth from Barcelona; Valeri