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Rural Places (rural + place)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%

Selected Abstracts

Seeking red herrings in the wood: tending the shared spaces of environmental and feminist geographies

THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 1 2007
MAUREEN G. REED
In this article I argue the need for feminist and environmental geographers to work more diligently to find, mind and tend the intersections of their research agendas to enrich scholarship and deepen impacts on public policy. Such a project requires us to move beyond an obvious call to acknowledge one another's work and towards the boundaries of our respective fields in order to co-create ,boundary objects' that provide opportunities for mutual exchange, collaboration and learning. Rather than being ,red herrings' or diversions from our main research foci, boundary objects bring new insights to taken-for-granted concepts. I focus on one example to argue that social sustainability of rural places is better understood by an integrated understanding of what constitutes a ,worker' in a forestry community. A redefinition of the worker that draws on insights and interests from both environmental and feminist geographers reveals an underlying gender bias in environmental decision-making processes and illustrates how the concept of social sustainability has been artificially restricted in practice. Nevertheless, collaborations are never easy. I draw attention to potential challenges of such collaborations that include the need to establish mutually agreeable protocols, joint commitment to constructive, respectful debate and strategies to ensure that research provides meaningful contributions to theory and public policy. Dans cet article, je vais tenter de montrer que les géographes féministes et les géographes de l'environnement auront à travailler avec plus d'acharnement pour reconnaître, étudier et entretenir les points communs de leurs agendas de recherche en vue d'augmenter la valeur scientifique des études et d'accroître les retombées sur les politiques publiques. Un tel projet exige que nous puissions dépasser le stade de la reconnaissance de nos travaux et se tourner ainsi vers les frontières de nos disciplines afin de co-créer des ,objets frontaliers' qui offrent des possibilités d'échanges d'idées, de collaboration et d'apprentissage. Plutôt qu'être des ,fausses pistes' ou des déviations de nos principaux thèmes de recherche, ces objets frontaliers pourraient apporter un éclairage nouveau sur des concepts tenus pour acquis. À l'aide d'un exemple, j'avance que pour mieux comprendre la durabilité sociale en milieux ruraux, il faut acquérir une compréhension intégrée de l'ensemble des dimensions d'un ,ouvrier' membre d'une communauté forestière. L'ouvrier est redéfini en mettant à contribution les connaissances et intérêts des géographes environnementaux et féministes. Cette définition met au jour un parti pris fondé sur le sexe dans les processus décisionnels en matière d'environnement et démontre de quelle façon le concept de la durabilité sociale s'en trouve artificiellement restreint dans la pratique. Les collaborations ne sont cependant jamais faciles àétablir. J'attire l'attention sur les difficultés potentielles de ces collaborations concernant notamment la mise en place de protocoles acceptables pour les deux parties, la promesse de tenir des débats constructifs et respectueux, et les stratégies visant à garantir que la recherche participe de manière vitale autant au développement de la théorie que des politiques publiques. [source]

Indicators of community economic development through mural-based tourism

THE CANADIAN GEOGRAPHER/LE GEOGRAPHE CANADIEN, Issue 1 2005
Rhonda Koster
Community Economic Development (CED) has become a recognised form of economic development, despite contention regarding its definition and applications. It is acknowledged that development planning benefits from a more holistic approach with a focus on community participation. The objective of this paper was to explore the process and selected indicators of CED success through an examination of five Saskatchewan communities that have made the conscious decision to develop tourism through the use of wall murals on the exteriors of buildings. Extensive in-person interviews were conducted with stakeholders in each of these communities. Generally, this research has found that both the CED process undertaken and the measurement of success are dependent upon the desired outcomes of mural development. For example, in communities that created murals-as-community-beautification, the process was less formalised and success was measured more qualitatively, for example in increased community pride and the development of social relationships. For those communities where murals were developed as part of an explicit economic development strategy, the process was more formalised and the outcomes measured more quantitatively, including the numbers of visitors, employment and businesses created. This research also indicates that particular attributes of rural places play a critical role in how CED is understood, defined and carried out, and how successes, both tangible and intangible, are measured. Le Développement économique communautaire (DEC)est désormais une forme de développement économique reconnue, malgré le débat qui entoure sa définition et ses applications. On admet qu'une approche plus globale, axée sur la participation de la collectivité, favorise la planification du développement. L'objectif de cette étude est d'examiner la démarche du DEC ainsi que des indicateurs spécifiques de succès dans cinq collectivités de la Saskatchewan qui ont pris la décision délibérée de développer le tourisme grâce à la réalisation de murales sur les murs extérieurs d'édifices. Nous avons mené des entrevues en profondeur, en personne, avec des intervenants dans chacune de ces collectivités. D'une manière générale, cette recherche a mis en évidence le fait quele processus du DEC ainsi que la mesure de son succès dépendent des résultats que l'on attend de la réalisation des murales. Ainsi, là où les murales ont été réalisées dans le but d'embellir la collectivité, le processus était moins formel et le succès se mesurait surtout par des critères qualitatifs tels que le développement de relations sociales ou un sentiment de fierté accru de la part des résidents. Par contre, là où la réalisation des murales résultait d'une stratégie de développement économique explicite, le processus était plus formel et les résultats se mesuraient en termes quantitatifs comprenant le nombre de visiteurs, ainsi que le nombre d'emplois et de commerces créés. Cette recherche démontre également que certains attributs de lieux ruraux jouent un rôle crucial dans la façon dont on comprend, définit et met en ,uvre le DEC, ainsi que sur la manière dont on mesure les succès, tangibles autant qu'intangibles. [source]

Urban-Rural Flows of Physicians

THE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2007
Thomas C. Ricketts PhD
ABSTRACT:,Context:Physician supply is anticipated to fall short of national requirements over the next 20 years. Rural areas are likely to lose relatively more physicians. Policy makers must know how to anticipate what changes in distribution are likely to happen to better target policies. Purpose: To determine whether there was a significant flow of physicians from urban to rural areas in recent years when the overall supply of physicians has been considered in balance with needs. Methods: Individual records from merged AMA Physician Masterfiles for 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2003 were used to track movements from urban to rural and rural to urban counties. Individual physician locations were tracked over 5-year intervals during the period 1981 to 2001, with an additional assessment for movements in 2001-2003. Findings: Approximately 25% of physicians moved across county boundaries in any given 5-year period but the relative distribution of urban-rural supply remained relatively stable. One third of all physicians remained in the same urban or rural practice location for most of their professional careers. There was a small net movement of physicians from urban to rural areas from 1981 to 2003. Conclusions: The data show a net flow from urban to rural places, suggesting a geographic diffusion of physicians in response to economic forces. However, the small gain in rural areas may also be explained by programs that are intended to counter normal market pressures for urban concentrations of professionals. It is likely that in the face of an overall shortage, rural areas will lose physician supply relative to population. [source]

RURAL MENTAL HEALTH: NEITHER ROMANTICISM NOR DESPAIR

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2000
Jo Wainer
ABSTRACT This paper explores the relationship between rural places and mental health. It begins with a definition of mental health and an outline of the data that have led to the current concern with promoting positive mental health. We then consider aspects of rural life and place that contribute to positive mental health or increase the likelihood of mental health problems. Issues identified include environment, place, gender identity, violence and dispossession and the influence of the effects of structural changes in rural communities. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the determinants of resilience in rural places, including social connectedness, valuing diversity and economic participation. [source]