A Visual Typology of Abandonment in Rural America: From End-of-Life to Treading Water, Recycling, Renaissance, and Revival

Jason P. Holcomb, Paul Frederic and Stanley D. Brunn
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Jason P. Holcomb: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351, USA
Paul Frederic: Department of Geography and Environmental Planning, University of Maine at Farmington, Farmington, ME 04938, USA
Stanley D. Brunn: Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 3, 1-26

Abstract: The contemporary American rural landscape reflects a mix of ongoing economic changes in agricultural land use, population change, and built environments. The mix depends on past and recent change which represent landscapes of memory and silence to those experiencing economic and demographic renaissance. We develop a typology of five stages that reflect the contemporary rural scene and conduct field transects in Northwest Iowa and Central Maine. Features of the dynamics in rural America are evident in photographs of residences, land use changes, and commercial structure. The study calls for additional studies on rural settlement populations, economies, and society in different environmental settings.

Keywords: small town landscapes; rural devolution and evolution; abandonment and renaissance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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