Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder: An Account of Place Attractivity in a Romanian Left-behind Area
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14422/mig.24199.028Keywords:
place attractivity, left-behind area, return motivations, staying motivationsAbstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-migration to rural areas increased. Mobility and socialization restrictions led many people to seek larger houses and green spaces in rural areas, perceived as safer. In these flows, privileged destinations tend to be near large urban areas or scenic landscapes. However, much less is known about place attractivity in less popular, peripheral areas. A country with large rural-urban disparities, Romania also has diverse rural contexts with unequal development trajectories. Drawing on 34 interviews with people having different (im)mobility experiences in a peripheral area, this paper asks what makes the area attractive to residents. Using thematic analysis, we show that place attractivity is constructed at the intersection of physical place features, material conditions, symbolic ties, and everyday practices, counterbalancing perceptions of peripherality, and transforming peripherality into welcoming places.
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