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Amenities and Rural Development: Theory, Methods and Public Policy
Author(s): Gary Paul Green (Editor), Steven C. Deller (Editor), David D. Marcouiller (Editor)
- Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
- Publication Date: January 25, 2006
- Language: English
- Print length: 360 pages
- ISBN-10: 1845421264
- ISBN-13: 9781845421267
Book Description
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.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘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
About the Author
Edited by Gary Paul Green, Professor, Department of Community and Environmental Sociology, Steven C. Deller, Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics and David W. Marcouiller, Professor of Regional Economics and Rural Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, US
