The global rural: Gentrification and linked migration in the rural USA

Abstract

This article explores the possibility that US rural amenity destinations are affected by ‘linked migration’ streams similar to ones connecting the fate of high-wage professionals and low-wage immigrants in global cities. To date, the possibility of such a linkage has not been considered in the vast literature on migration and social transformation in rural America, a literature that has treated the arrival of these two groups (high-wage professionals and low-wage immigrants) in rural spaces as separate processes. We explore the possibility that these two groups, in a particular set of US rural amenity communities, are structurally linked. We focus on the theoretical implications of documenting such linkages, arguing that the presence of linked migration dynamics in rural areas would transform scholarly debates on: (1) Latino immigrants in the rural USA; (2) amenity migration and rural gentrification, not only in the USA but in a range of postindustrial economies; and (3) theories of globalization and mobility, as well as the place of the rural in globalization dynamics.

Rural gentrification and linked migration in the United States

“…Section 4 presents the results of our analysis cartographically and through a series of statistical summaries, emphasizing the changing demographic composition of gentrifying counties. The concluding section situates our results within current theorizations of rural gentrification and argues for future analysis sensitive to both race and class dynamics (see also Nelson and Nelson, 2010).…”

Urban-Rural Migrants and Commodification of Rural-Coastal Villages on a Touristic Island: A Case Study of Woljeong-Ri on Jeju Island, Korea

“…A range of changes by an increase in urban-rural migrants such as rural gentrification (or greenfication) (Nelson and Nelson, 2010;Smith and Phillips, 2001), changes in land use and landscape (Bu, 2015;Cadieux and Hurley, 2011), changing rurality (Eom, 2012;Halfacree, 2006a) have been reported. These transformations are associated with postproductivist or multifunctional countryside (Gosnell and Abrams, 2011) by rural restructuring (Woods, 2005).…”

Environmental policies in the peri-urban area of Mexico City: The perceived effects of three environmental programs

“…From a "classic urban point of view", the primary role of peri-urban spaces is to serve as land reserves for future urbanization. However, "emergent views" 3 instead emphasize the economic role of such peripheries in a globalized context (Keivani & Mattingly, 2007;Nelson & Nelson, 2010) and the importance of ecosystem services to the city (Portnov & Pearlmutter, 1999;Allen, 2003;Da Gamma Torres, 2008;Hornis & Eck, 2008a;Shu-Li et al, 2009;Kritsanaphan & Sajor, 2011).…”