4B.5

• Rural places perceived as ‘ideal’ places to live = ’rural idyll’

  • beautiful, tranquil, relaxed, happy etc place to live BUT just a perception (may not be reality)
• many urban ppl have this perception bc of

  • rural places portrayed at picturesque w/ like nice woodlands
  • nice cosy cottages w/ flowers
  • relaxed pace of life, stress free
  • bigggg community
  • free from crime
  • very historic
• tv shows reinforce this ideal eg emmerdale, midsomer murders and broadchurch

  other forms of media like art and lit also portray same idea to attract visitors
• ’rural paradox’ = is the opposite of like ‘rural idyll’

  it suggests that amongst all the good things, rural life isn't all what it seems

  • not connected to gas networks -> expensive oil fired boilers and central heating
  • limited services eg post offices schools etc can be quite expensive and far away
  • high maintenance cold housing expensive heating
  • infrequent public transport, everything is far away and expensive petrol
  • older population so not much for the youth -> isolated
  • popular places crowded with tourists in the summer and deserted in the winter
• different areas of rural places are percevied differently

  • remote rural = not many ppl move here to retire but can be nice place to visit
  • accessible rural = many ppl move here to retire bc still is tranquil and has services close by
  • commuter villages = popular for young families who go to work bc its a short drive to next major city
• perceptions of rural places can be measured using data (mostly quantitative as qualitative is not most suitable for images and stuff)

  • census data bout population characteristic's and stuff
  • IMD data = small scale deprived areas
  • labour force surveys = if ppl are working, avg incomes etc

  useful bc it provides a MEASURE OF EXTENT of the social economic and environmental problems and can easily be compared to other places

  media representations can also give a sense of place but can be controversial so needs to be used with caution
• Case study = swanage, corfe castle 


  Add stuff later pls