Postgraduate Researcher

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• Tel: 0116 252 5215
• Email: cjw37@le.ac.uk
• Fax: 0116 252 3854
• Office: Bennett Building R2

PhD in Human Geography

First, Second and Thirdspace Representations of Gentrified Market Towns

This research seeks to consider the implications of considerable interest generated by rural market towns from the Rural White Paper 2000 ‘Our Countryside: The Future - A Fair Deal for Rural England’.  This called for a renaissance of market towns in the face increasing competition from out-of-town shopping (DETR, 1998) as well as much wider processes brought about through post-productivism (the shift towards a non-agrarian economy) and wider processes of Globalisation for which the later has magnified the pressure upon rural market towns. 

Gentrification has been analysed from an urban tradition, focusing upon cities as the primary example of middle class movement into previously run-down territory.  Increasingly market towns are acting as service centres to their respective rural hinterlands (Powe and Shaw, 2003; 2004) and this role is identified as crucial to servicing the rural community in the future.  A cascading effect emanating from the urban is encouraging gentrification into these spaces (Lees, 2006).  This is reflected in the 2001 Census whereby town populations are gradually becoming more middle class and further support is provided by the Halifax Building Society who report market towns are the most lucrative spaces for house price appreciation in England.

To investigate these processes Soja’s (1996) First, Second and Thirdspace epistemology.  The Firstspace will look at the material make-up of market towns or their materiality.  The Secondspace will investigate the symbolic representations presented in rural market towns, which include the images created, by property developers as well as visual evidence of the changes to traditional spaces, such as the conversion of pubs to residential use and the construction of new housing.  Often resistance to gentrification is played out through the proliferation of new housing development, considered ‘out of character’ with the surrounding housing stock.  Finally, the Thirdspace intends to query the practices exhibited by gentrifiers and what motivates them to locate within a market town.  This research thus intends to build a contemporary picture of our English market towns and the challenges they face in the 21st Century.