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The influence of Urban Economies on The socio-economic Characteristics Of Rural Areas

Contents 1 The Changing Rural Economy in the UK 1.1 Rural Deprivation 1.2 Diversification - Shropshire 1.3 The problems of counter-urbanisation 1.4 Social Changes 1.5 Changing economy in Cornwall 1.6 Japan – Interdependence of towns & country 2 Also See 3 Comments

The Changing Rural Economy in the UK

In rural areas: -

• A greater proportion of people are working in agriculture (4.4%)
• However even in areas where farming is most important it only employs 15% of the population
• 26.4% of people are employed part-time.
• More people are self-employed than in urban areas.
• More people work from home.
• Small businesses make up the majority of employers.

Unemployment is actually a lot lower in rural areas than the UK average but the average wage is also a lot lower.

Rural Deprivation

In many rural areas deprivation is becoming a problem due to the decline in services. In many areas there is economic decline & depopulation, particularly in isolated areas. In many rural areas there is now the need to diversify. This has been aided by the rapid decline in farming. The agri-business has caused an increasing gap between rich & poor farmers and many are being forced out of business. CAP has not helped this due to competition with the EU. Therefore many farmers can no longer make a living & employment is increasing. There is an increasing need to diversify in order to make a living.

Diversification - Shropshire

There has been a decline in agriculture in Shropshire due to increased mechanisation & the sale of farms causing job losses. Also the BSE crisis had a large impact on farmers although they were subsidised by CAP.

Manufacturing is also in decline in Bishop’s Castle in Shropshire with the closure of the trouser factory to save money by producing abroad. Government subsidies & grants have slowed the decline but Bishop’s Castle has been named as a “Town in terminal decline”. As in many rural areas a lot of people are self-employed these small companies are unable to compete with the large companies in urban areas.

There are now many new jobs to take the place of agriculture:

• Tourism
• Services

However many of these are casual or part time jobs e.g. fruit picking.

Tourism also helps to pay for the maintenance of the environment. However, money has to be put in to pay for new infrastructure although this also has long term benefits for the local community. Money is also lost to pay for damage done to the landscape by tourists e.g. footpath erosion. There are also worries that rural areas are becoming too dependent on tourism.

The problems of counter-urbanisation

Housing is a large problem created by counter-urbanisation. There is an increasing need for social housing as more people are unable to afford houses as prices are forced up. This has not been helped by the “right to buy” scheme whereby people in social housing could buy their house. This caused a reduction of 90,000 homes in rural areas, which were not being replaced. In particular young people are forced out changing the demographic structure of rural areas & reducing the number of people working. There is the need to build more houses but they need to be built in traditional styles. Also, could give local residents 1st pick on housing.

There has also been a decline in services due to counter-urbanisation. People now have cars so travel to supermarkets forcing local shops & services to close down. This leaves those without a car seriously lacking in services. The old & young in particular need services which are not available to them & there is very little government help for them. Similarly transport is poor with very few buses or trains, leaving those without a car stranded in rural areas. Many people are forced into buying a car causing greater congestion & pollution.

Social Changes

The influence of urban economies brings many social changes to rural areas. In many cases there is a decline in local traditions & loss of local community as new people move in. There may also be conflict between visitors & local residents. However, some social changes can be beneficial:

• Brings new ideas.
• Local customs & traditions may be enhanced by tourism e.g. Scotland.
• Young people no longer have to leave the area in search of work, as there are jobs in tourism.

Changing economy in Cornwall

There has been considerable change in Cornwall in recent years. The area used to be dominated by farming, fishing & china clay extraction. This has now declined due to problems of agriculture, fishing restrictions imposed by governments & resources for mining running out. However, the dominant sector of the economy is now the tertiary sector. Tourism is the only area where employment is expanding with around 30,000 jobs. However there is a lot of investment from outside the area and so money is lost through leakage. Tourism has dramatically increased the economic potential of the county with over 4 mlln visitors each year who spend £930 million. However tourism is only seasonal and so many are unemployed during the winter. There is some growth in banking & finance as it is footloose & many businessmen have moved to Cornwall.

Small firms dominate the local economy with 87% of workers but most work is in towns so people in remote areas have to commute long distances to work.

Japan – Interdependence of towns & country

The migration of the rural population led to the breakdown of traditional life in the country as people go to find jobs in the city. There is also the outward diffusion of urban values leading to the loss of unity & co-operation in rural areas. These influences are strongest near to urban areas highlighting the rural-urban continuum. Improvements in transport, leisure time & disposable income has also led to increased urban dwellers & tourists in rural areas affecting the rural way of life.

Also See

• Urban Deprivation in MEDCs
• Global Variations in Urbanisation
• Management and Planning in Urban Areas
• Changes in the Central Areas of Cities
• Urbanisation at the Fringe
• Greenbelts - Preventing Urban Growth
• New Towns
• Megacities
• The influence of Urban Economies on Rural Areas
• Agriculture in LEDCs
• Agriculture in MEDCs
• Resources in Rural Areas
• The Globalisation of Food Production
• Farming at a Global Scale
• Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
• Farming Case studies
• National Parks

Comments

These notes were originally written by F1_fanatic and posted here on TSR Forums. They are suitable for people studying for geography at A Level.