Changing Rural Areas (Edexcel GCSE Geography: B (1GB0))

• Rural areas face two main issues:
  • Availability 
  • Affordability 

Availability

• In rural areas there may be a lack of:
  • Housing
  • Services 
  • Jobs
  • Labour

Affordability

• Costs of some things are higher due to accessibility and demand including:
  • Houses
  • Transport

• Less accessible rural areas face challenges due to: 
  • Depopulation
  • Tourism
  • Counter-urbanisation
• In the UK 19% of people live in rural areas
• Rural areas are defined as areas with a population of less than 10,000

Housing

• In many rural areas there has been an increase in second homes and holiday homes
• Increasing numbers of people retiring or moving to rural areas and commuting or homeworking
  • The increased pressure on housing has led to increased prices which locals cannot afford
• Affordable housing is often substandard as they tend to be older properties which may lack heating or be damp

Employment

• In many rural areas primary employment has decreased due to:
  • Mechanisation which means not as many workers are needed in farming, forestry and mining
  • Cheaper imports which reduce the demand for primary resources
• Primary industry declines further as:
  • The younger generation chooses better paid jobs 
  • Over 33% of farm owners are over 65 and near retirement age

Healthcare, education and services

• Many areas have no Doctor's surgery or have limited opening times
• The nearest hospital may be a number of hours away as smaller hospitals have closed
• Bus routes have been reduced and many rural areas have no service for others it may only be a couple of buses a week
• Primary schools have closed due to low numbers meaning children have to travel long distances for school and college

• These challenges can lead to a negative multiplier effect

Negative multiplier effect in rural areas

Quality of Life

• Quality of Life can be assessed using the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
  • Uses a variety of indicators to indicate how deprived an area is including:
    • Education
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Crime
    • Income
    • Employment
    • Environment
• Although crime rates tend to be lower and the environment more pleasant that does not mean everyone's quality of life is high
• Different groups are affected in a variety of ways

Young people

• Have to travel long distances to school/college
• Limited job opportunities
• Low wages
• Lack of affordable housing
• Lack of facilities and entertainment

Elderly

• Lack of public transport affects their ability to get around
• Often need healthcare more frequently and may have to travel long distances to access it
• Feel isolated

• In the UK farming now only creates 1% of the GDP
• Overall farming is becoming less profitable. This has led to:
  • Diversification
  • Methods of raising productivity and profits
• There are many different ways of diversifying

Diversification in rural areas

Recreation and Leisure

• Many of the ways of diversifying are linked to recreation and leisure
• People in developed countries have more time and disposable income 
• Visiting rural areas in leisure time for activities is increasingly popular
• Leisure activities linked to this on farms include:
  • Horse riding
  • Alpaca walking
  • Hunting and shooting
  • Off roading
  • Mountain biking
• Farms often provide the accommodation as well with barns and outbuildings converted to holiday cottages and fields used as camping/caravan sites

Environmental impacts

• Many types of diversifications have significant impacts on the environment
• Off roading and mountain biking lead to soil erosion and habitat destruction
• Renewable energy is controversial for a number of reasons:
  • Visual impact in areas of natural beauty
  • Uses land which could be used for farming 
  • Noise of wind turbines
• Increase in tourists leads to more traffic (most people travel by car) and congestion
• Traffic also leads to air pollution
• Increased litter 
• Barn and outbuilding conversions have reduced nesting sites for birds
• Increased water sports and boating on lakes cause erosion of lake banks which are valuable wildlife habitats