The Great Rural Reboot (Part 1)
Part 1: Two Hundred Years of Decline.
Part 2: Pioneers of Rebirth.
I believe the current shift in working patterns, triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, opens the door to a rebirth of rural society following two centuries of decline. New types of rural workspace will be an essential catalyst for this change.
In this series of articles, I will outline the background to the changes, explore what the new rural economy might look like and introduce a pioneering new project from The Trampery that seeks to turn the new possibilities into reality.
From the agricultural revolution around 10,000 BCE until the start of the nineteenth century, the centre of gravity for society and the economy was the countryside. During this period cities emerged, grew and acquired a complex array of specialised functions. But around the world, the primary foundation of power and wealth remained the ownership and management of agricultural land; whilst cities played a vital supporting function through markets, finance and sociality.
However in the nineteenth century, in the heat of the industrial revolution, the balance switched. First in Europe, then in North America, Japan and elsewhere, cities were suddenly the places that mattered. Rural areas were relegated to a supporting role, satisfying cities’ voracious appetites for food, resources and labour.
The second half of the twentieth century and the start of the twenty-first have been dismal periods for rural society. Whether one looks to Europe, China, South America or Sub-Saharan Africa; there is the same picture of decay and dwindling opportunity. Young people with talent and ambition growing up in the country leave for cities at the first opportunity. Farming teeters on the brink of viability, under merciless pressure from global competition. Shops, bars, clubs and other elements of infrastructure wither and die. Today even the world’s wealthiest nations are scattered with villages that, after thousands of years under continuous habitation, now stand completely abandoned.
When the internet first became widely adopted in the 1990s, some commentators predicted a rapid exodus of “knowledge workers” from cities to the countryside. The premise was that remote collaboration made office-working redundant, and once their bond to the city was cut, workers would naturally opt for the higher quality of life available in the country. In reality, offices proved more deeply wired into most organisations’ cultures than these commentators realised. It also turned out that work wasn’t the only thing keeping people in cities; people also liked the diversity, culture and sociability cities offered.
On the surface then, not much changed in the balance between city and country. However, the tendrils of ever-more sophisticated technologies crept into every corner of organisational life. Without realising it organisations became literate in remote collaboration even whilst they hung onto the forms of office life. When corporations started encouraging employees to work from home one day a week, they unconsciously began grafting new etiquette and habit onto their culture connected with remote collaboration. When the shock of the coronavirus pandemic arrived, and overnight hundreds of millions of workers found themselves having to switch to 100% remote collaboration; the striking thing was not how unprepared they were, but how all the necessary tools and cultural norms were already in place, ready to take the strain.
Countries that imposed lockdowns saw an immediate surge of professionals relocating from city centres to the country. Again a wave of commentators predicted the end of the city, and again their predictions proved premature. As lockdowns relaxed, many of those who had moved to the country returned either to the city centre or to the suburbs.
However, some who had moved to the country remained there. And others who had made the shift decided to keep moving, without settling permanently anywhere. These are the people to watch, the harbingers of a new world that is not yet visible. These groups will be the focus of my next article.
The Trampery is a purpose-led enterprise that provides workspaces and courses for ambitious businesses. As part of our mission, we support entrepreneurs from under-represented backgrounds and promote forms of business that embrace social and environmental impact alongside profit. Learn more here.
