The Great Rural Reboot (Part 2)
Part 1: Two Hundred Years of Decline.
Part 2: Pioneers of Rebirth.
The coronavirus pandemic was like a flood, sweeping millions of professionals out of city centres into the outer suburbs and countryside. As the crisis receded, most returned to the cities once again. But as with a flood, some of those who’d been displaced remained in their new setting. I believe these people will be the pioneers of the greatest transformation in rural society since the agricultural revolution.
The incomers who’ve remained in the country aren’t a uniform group. They form three distinct categories, each with different needs and aspirations:
- “Digital Settlers” The pandemic led some individuals, couples and families who’d built their careers in cities, to discover they preferred rural life and could also accomplish their work there. People in this category mostly comprise consultants, freelancers and entrepreneurs, rather than employees of large organisations. Many of their clients are still located in cities, so most will need to travel in for meetings once or twice a month.
- “Rural Hybrid Workers” As many organisations adopt permanent policies requiring employees to be in the office only two or three days a week, the calculus for commuters is changing dramatically. An employee who prefers to live in the country might now have a working pattern where they can spend five days of the week in their home setting, and travel to a city centre office just twice. Someone in this position might be willing to tolerate a significantly longer commute than if they needed to be in the office five days a week. This is leading some hybrid workers to relocate to a fully rural location, rather than a suburban one.
- “Digital Nomads” This group came into being with the first wave of mainstream internet technologies and mobile telecommunications in the 1990s. Initially, it comprised a tiny, committed fringe of consultants and freelancers, willing to battle erratic technologies in return for a lifestyle of continuous travel and exploration. Between 2019 and 2020, armed with much slicker technology, the pandemic is estimated to have driven a staggering 50% increase in the community of digital workers; with more than 10 million in the USA alone. Most significantly, this growth is not predominantly from freelancers and consultants, it’s from corporate employees whose firms have switched to full remote working. Some Digital Nomads flit from city to city, but many choose to spend extended periods in rural environments.
What attracts each of these groups to live in the country? Reasons typically include cleaner air, more space, less traffic, greener surroundings, better leisure options, closer connection with nature, a safer environment for children and a stronger sense of local community.
However, the move away from the city also carries costs. People miss socialising with others who share similar life experiences. They also crave the musical, artistic and cultural experiences that were available to them as city-dwellers. Meanwhile, at a professional level, people involved in innovation tend to thrive on dialogue with professionals in related fields. The shift to working in a more isolated setting can pose challenges sustaining stimulus and feedback.
As the population of remote workers grows in a rural community, I believe new kinds of infrastructure and activity will spring up to address these needs. But what will it look like? History provides some useful pointers.
During the thirteenth century, European rural society went through a period of rapid structural change. It was driven by the rise of increasingly complex patterns of trade, enabled by a growing cash economy. The established mechanisms of exchange, localised at the village level, proved inadequate for the emerging forms of trade. Something new was needed.
The solution that emerged was the market town. Larger than a village, but smaller than a city, they grew up in locations that were easy to reach from dozens of surrounding villages. The market town offered a focal point for this dispersed rural hinterland. In England alone, more than 2,000 market towns appeared between 1200 and 1350.
At its heart was the market, where goods could be bought or sold under the protection of a clear system of regulation and supervision. Surrounding the market was an array of specialist services, such as lawyers, financiers, doctors and craftworkers. The market town also played an important social role. By bringing together people from a wider region, it was able to foster relationships that transcended the boundaries of a village. As a result, the market town become a forum where expert knowledge could be shared, and a motor for the development and adoption of new practices.
Just as market towns played a pivotal role in the rural revolution of the thirteenth century, I believe they will serve as the hubs in a new rural economy of the twenty-first. New types of workspace, cafes and club will begin to appear in market towns, which will serve as gathering points for the growing population of digital workers scattered across their hinterland. These will be the places to make connections, share expertise and discuss new ideas.
Simultaneously, as digital workers move from the city to the country, market towns will respond to their growing cultural demands. New art galleries, independent cinemas and music venues will programme bolder, more contemporary material than their traditional forebears. This in turn will expand the opportunities available to artists beyond the confines of large cities.
The third (and final) article in this series will explore what the new rural society will look like, and introduce a project from The Trampery that’s setting out to help make it real.
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
