The contemporary world is mostly defined in terms of urbanization, a process which involves places beyond the city. Urbanization mobilizes reserves and resources by means of capital, infrastructure and land use, establishes relationships across territory and produces different forms of settlement.
- According to census data, the rural is defined in terms of density and population. What are some other definitions in terms of economics, land use, geography, culture?
- How do we study the “rural”? What are the current forms of land settlement today and how do we think about the rural today?
- Which roles can architecture assume in the rural context?
History
What are some historical examples and points of reference that may shed light on the
rural condition today? What may be some case studies for studying the rural? For example, one could look into histories of land ownership, infrastructure, technology, environmental laws, community movements, and countercultures in addition to history of architecture and city planning.
Production
Which forms of production exist today and what are their sustenance? What are the shifts and trends in production in rural communities?
Infrastructure
How can we rethink infrastructure today? Some of the most discussed issues on the Cape are those of housing, population loss and water management. What other kinds of infrastructure can we consider?
Housing
What can emerge from the rural once everyone moves to the city?
What would be a balanced scenario, one that will allow the seasonal tourism to provide substantial income, and at the same time keep the local character and enable it to evolve? What role does architecture have in this?
Community
What are the broader implications of seasonal change on the community?
How can the community and its character adapt to the changes in population and production modes?
Ecology
What are the ecological possibilities/limitations for future development?
How can the community be engaged in questions of ecology? What are some examples?
Same observations specific to the Cape based on GIS data:
Land Use
Cape Cod has two modes of operation, one in which the existing infrastructure, both physical and nonphysical (formal and informal, hard and soft, from roads to hot lines) is barely able to serve the masses, and the other where it is barely able to sustain itself. This unbalanced condition challenges rural settlements across the country. In a context determined by limited resources, a more even use of land could achieve an economically and environmentally sensible community.
Bio Map
Critical Natural Landscape Identifies and prioritizes intact landscapes that are better able to support ecological processes and disturbance regimes, and a wide array of species and habitats over long time frames.
Core Habitat Identifies specific areas necessary to promote the long-term persistence of Species of Conservation Concern, exemplary natural communities, and intact ecosystems.
Development in the both areas reduces their ability to function as a catalyst for ecological processes. However, efforts to preserve these territories leave small percentage (10.4% as of 2005) of developable land.
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| Bio Map |
Areas of Environmental Concern
Biological continuity is necessary for the survival and growth of natural ecosystems. Further rural, suburban and urban development should consider the continuity of restored ecosystems in order to avoid a threat to their ability to sustain themselves.
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| Areas of Environmental Concern |
Cape Cod Seasonal Homes
The inhabitants of the seasonal properties are not an active part of the community and its economy. Private development and short term habitation in expensive properties causes an increase in land value, and thinning out of the local community and its ability to generate a sustainable economy. The local community and the surrounding landscape become a backdrop, a picturesque scenery for those who seek relief from the urban routine.
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| Cape Cod Seasonal Homes |
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| Population Density |
Median Housing Value
Cape Cod Wide Median Housing Value : $399,900
Unaffordable housing is also a contributor to the loss of population within working age. With limited employment opportunities, young professionals are not able to afford houses on the Cape. This limits possibilities for community renewal.
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| Median Housing Value |
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2005-2009
Sanborn, 2005
DFW, 2005
The Natural Conservancy, 2005
CZM, DCR, 2009
U.S Census Bureau, 2010 Census
Department of Natural Resources Conservation at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2013
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