Question

State any four ways of achieving counter urbanisation.

Answer 1

1. Changes in demography: Cities can shrink in size. The demography can undergo significant changes.
2. Loss of original character: Country villages are becoming increasingly suburbanised, they can therefore grow quickly and lose their original character and charm.
3. Impact on communities: Second homes are often bought in this counter urbanisation process, often in more scenic areas of the countryside such as National parks, etc. In this case, people buy an additional property for use as a holiday home but do not move there permanently. This has a negative impact on communities as houses can stand unoccupied for most of the year.
4. High Prices: House prices can be pushed up locally as migrants sell expensive city properties and buy rural property at high prices. The net result of this is that locals, and in particular the young, can be forced away as they are priced out of their own communities.
5. Changes in economy: Supermarkets and other businesses that are attracted to suburbanised villages resulting from counter urbanisation can have a massive impact on local services.
6. Effect on Public Transport: Public transport goes into decline because the new residents are car owners.
7. Pollution: Traffic congestion and pollution increase as a large percentage of the migrants will be commuting to work, hence causing pollution.
8. Change in layout: Counter-urbanisation affects the layout of rural settlements, modern housing is built on the outside of the area; and industrial estates are built on large main roads leading to the congested settlements.