Clare J.A. Mitchell

Making sense of counterurbanization

Abstract Non-metropolitan population growth has received extensive consideration since it was first observed in the United States nearly 30 years ago. The emergence, weakening and selective reappearance of this phenomenon across much of the developed world has spawned a large body of applied and academic literature. Many terms and phrases have been coined to describe this redistribution of population within the settlement system. The word “counterurbanization” is one that has received on-going attention in the literature. Although its verification, explanation and interpretation have occupied many research agendas, lack of consistency in definition hinders comparability. In this paper, I argue that the word counterurbanization is too broad to cover its depth of meaning. In its place, I propose adoption of three concepts to describe the changing spatial redistribution of population: counterurban, counterurbanizing, and counterurbanization. A framework integrating these concepts is offered, and templates for future study described. This exercise is timely given the recent release of census data.

Entrepreneurialism, commodification and creative destruction: a model of post-modern community development.

Abstract The desire to experience the countryside ideal is a growing trend among North American residents. Entrepreneurs have reacted to this by commodifying the countryside and its associated rural heritage. The result has been the creation of heritage shopping villages: centres of consumption providing postmodern consumers with tangible keepsakes of the past. While contributing to the accumulation of capital within the community, investment in commodification may lead to destruction of the rural idyll. The process by which this occurs is outlined in a stage model of community development. The model is then tested in the community of St. Jacobs, a picturesque village located in the heart of Ontarios Mennonite country. It is concluded that the model presented here may be a useful tool for geographers and planners interested in guiding the fate of communities whose development has occurred around the commodification of the rural tradition.

Economic impact of the arts: Theatre festivals in small Ontario communities

ConclusionsThis paper has demonstrated that visitors to professional theatre companies located in towns and villages of southern Ontario contribute to the economic well-being of the local economy. Furthermore, it has been documented that while all communities receive some monetary benefits, spatial variations are found to exist. These discrepancies are a function of differences in the average expenditures of non-local residents and the total number of visitors attending the theatre event. As expected, average expenditures appear to be highest in communities supporting a large commercial sector which are capable of sustaining a touris market. Moreover, the number of visitors attending a theatre event appears to be greatest in small communities supporting an established theratre company.

Residents of the urban field: A study of wilmot township, Ontario, Canada

Abstract This paper examines the characteristics and activity patterns of residents located within the urban field of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. A survey of 100 households in Wilmot Township was undertaken, first, to classify the population according to residential history, and second, to compare their travel patterns for work, shopping and neighbouring activities. Results suggest that the urban field of Kitchener-Waterloo is home to three diverse groups of people: ruralites, homecomers, and newcomers. While both homecomers and newcomers moved directly from an urban location, the former are distinguished by their past rural living experience. The activity patterns of the groups varied significantly. While newcomers retained strong ties with the urban core (K-W), both ruralite groups interacted more frequently with communities in the township. It is concluded that the countryside is a dynamic part of the urban field; one whose structure is considerably more complex than first assumed.

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION AND TRIAL BY SPACE IN A HISTORIC CANADIAN VILLAGE

Since the 1970s, stakeholders have attempted to revitalize selected rural communities across the developed world. The resulting initiatives have contributed much to the growing multifunctionality of rural space. Geographers have conceptualized this transformation in at least two ways: as a process of creative destruction and as a process of trial by space. In this article we demonstrate the merit of uniting these concepts to enhance our understanding of the evolution of historic towns and villages. We illustrate this unification in a study of Creemore, a picturesque village in the province of Ontario, Canada. Our analysis reveals that the transformation of this locale, from rural service center to heritage‐scape, has been fraught with controversy as various stakeholders have struggled to establish a dominant identity. We conclude that unification of these concepts does provide a useful framework for unraveling the evolution of historic communities within rural space.

Cultural Tourism and Community Economic Development

This study examines the relationship between cultural tourism and economic development. Two specific objectives are identified: first, to describe variations in expenditures of cultural tourists in nine small communities of southern Ontario; and, second, to identify factors responsible for the observed variations. Data collected in a visitor survey reveal that cultural tourists spend, on average, nearly

Revisiting the model of creative destruction: St. Jacobs, Ontario, a decade later.

200,000 annually within each study site. Variations in total audience expenditure are found to be a result of differences in annual attendance and average visitor expenditures, as influenced by community population and economic base, theater revenue, visitor motivations, and income levels. It is concluded, therefore, that in addition to enhancing cultural wellbeing, professional theater companies act as a catalyst for tourism and provide financial benefits for a community: one option to be considered to further the process of economic development within a locale.