Speaker
Description
In response to growing planetary crises and the COVID-19 pandemic, urban-to-rural migration has emerged as a significant demographic shift, challenging traditional planning approaches and spatial justice considerations. This spatial mobility is particularly visible in Turkey's rural areas, where improved infrastructure, remote working possibilities, and changing lifestyle preferences have accelerated urban-to-rural migration. This study examines how urban migrants transform and adapt to rural life in the villages of Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, where the construction of the Çanakkale Bridge in 2022 has intensified urban-rural mobilities and triggered significant socio-spatial transformations.
The research employs Lefebvre's rhythmanalysis as a theoretical framework to investigate the integration processes and everyday life practices of urban migrants through an intersectional lens. The Gallipoli Peninsula provides a unique research context due to its historical significance and protected status, which has helped preserve its rural character despite increasing urbanization pressures. Analysis of land registry data from 2012-2022 reveals a sharp increase in rural property transactions following the bridge's construction announcement, indicating emerging patterns of rural gentrification and changing land-use dynamics.
The study utilized a qualitative research methodology, combining ethnographic fieldwork conducted during winter (January 2023) and summer (August 2023) periods to capture seasonal variations in rural life. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 16 urban migrants across nine villages, representing diverse migration types (retirement, lifestyle, return migration) and settlement patterns. Participant observation was conducted through extended stays in migrant households, allowing direct experience of daily rhythms and community interactions. Additionally, informal conversations with local residents and spatial analysis of changing rural landscapes provided contextual depth to understanding the transformation processes.
The findings reveal three key dimensions of transformation in migrants' everyday practices: temporal, actional, and communal rhythms. While urban migrants transition from clock-based urban temporality to nature-based rural rhythms and develop new forms of bodily engagement through agricultural activities, their integration experiences are significantly shaped by gender. Male migrants often achieve faster social integration through traditional spaces like coffee houses, while female migrants face more complex challenges in navigating rural social norms and establishing community connections.
The study identified emerging hybrid rural communities that demonstrate both opportunities for social innovation and risks of exclusion. Urban migrants' presence is transforming traditional rural spaces through new land-use patterns, alternative agricultural practices, and changing social dynamics. This transformation sometimes leads to tensions with local residents over resource access and community participation, particularly regarding traditional agricultural practices and land enclosure.
The research reveals early signs of rural gentrification in the region, including changing property values, emerging lifestyle-oriented businesses, and new forms of spatial segregation. These changes raise important questions about spatial justice and inclusive rural development, particularly regarding access to housing and agricultural land for local communities.
This study contributes to planning literature by offering insights into how demographic shifts reshape rural spaces and social relations, while highlighting the need for inclusive planning approaches that address both newcomers' integration needs and local communities' concerns. The findings suggest that successful rural transformation requires planning interventions that promote spatial justice while preserving rural character and fostering inclusive community development. The study also emphasizes the importance of gender-sensitive planning approaches in rural areas, particularly in addressing the different integration experiences of male and female migrants.
References
Benson, M. (2010) 'The Context and Trajectory of Lifestyle Migration', European Societies, 12(1), pp. 45-64.
Benson, M. and O'Reilly, K. (2009) 'Migration and the search for a better way of life: a critical exploration of lifestyle migration', The Sociological Review, 57(4), pp. 608-625.
Eimermann, M. (2015) 'Lifestyle Migration Beyond Consumption-Production Binaries: Dutch Migrants and Multifunctional Rural Land Use in Sweden', Dve Domovini, 42, pp. 81-94.
Halfacree, K.H. (1995) 'Talking about Rurality: Social Representations of the Rural as Expressed by Residents of Six English Parishes', Journal of Rural Studies, 11(1), pp. 1-20.
Halfacree, K.H. and Rivera, M.J. (2012) 'Moving to the Countryside ... and Staying: Lives beyond Representations', Sociologia Ruralis, 52(1), pp. 92-114.
Lefebvre, H. (1987) 'The Everyday and Everydayness', Yale French Studies, 73, pp. 7-11.
Lefebvre, H. (2004) Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday Life. London: Continuum.
Phillips, M. (2005) 'Differential productions of rural gentrification: illustrations from North and South Norfolk', Geoforum, 36(4), pp. 477-494.
| Keywords | urban-to-rural migration, lifestyle migration, rural integration, everyday life, rhythmanalysis |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
