Category: Landscape

Valuing rural amenity

Gary Bosworth / / Economy, Interpreting Rurality, Landscape, Planning

An RICS report looking at the inflated price of rural housing: http://www.rics.org/Global/Value_Rural_Amenities_241012_dwl_aj.pdf

They have only looked at two regions, one in the Chilterns and one in the West Midlands so heavily influenced by the urban economy as well as being “idyllic” in appearance so it’s perhaps not surprising that these are showing the most resilient and highest housing prices in England.  Nevertheless, good to see that some of the academic literature is filtering into the professional property world.

Zografia Bika confirmed as a 2nd keynote speaker

Gary Bosworth / / Economy, Interpreting Rurality, Landscape, Society

Zografia will be presenting a paper titled, “High Growth Family Business Networks and Rurality: From community to family values.”  This is based on a recently completed ESRC funded research project. Zografia has previously published extensively on the CAP, rural development rural entrepreneurship.  There are still places available to attend this free event but delegates must register before 30th August.

Farm tourism

Gary Bosworth / / Agriculture, Economy, Interpreting Rurality, Landscape

A new paper in Regional Studies “Regions” magazine provides new evidence to show that farm diversification into tourism is aiding the resilience of farm households as well as contributing to a more sustainable local economy and local community.    The key success stories came where farmers recognised ways in which they could “sell” local characteristics, turning the “rural” itself into a commodity, rather that it being a space just for the production of agricultural commodities.

Not all farmers have the same access to opportunities nor are they all as entrepreneurially-minded to recognise opportunities and the research indicates that better targeting of business support can extend the benefits of diversification to more farmers, and by implication, create more sustainable rural communities in remote parts of Wales.

This paper was written my Mandy Talbot who is studying for a PhD at Abersytwyth University. It was initially presented to the Rural Tourism Symposium held in September 2011 at the University of Lincoln.