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More than a population movement: Post-COVID amenity migration and the contemporary social-ecological transformation of rural working lands

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  • Matarrita-Cascante, David

Abstract

Amenity migration, the movement of urban populations to rural areas in search of lifestyle, natural, and cultural amenities, has intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly across rural working lands characterized by farming, ranching, forestry, and resource stewardship. While existing scholarship has examined the drivers and impacts of amenity migration, this phenomenon remains undertheorized as a broader process of social-ecological transformation. This viewpoint paper argues that post-COVID amenity migration represents more than a demographic shift, functioning instead as a transformative force reshaping rural working lands and broader agrifood and rural production systems.pGrounded in a social-ecological systems perspective, the paper develops an integrative conceptual framework linking three interconnected transformation pathways: (1) structural and institutional transformations, including fragmented ownership patterns, institutional adaptation challenges, and the emergence of hybrid governance arrangements; (2) reconfigurations of social dynamics and capacities, including changing community composition, civic participation, and knowledge systems; and (3) shifts in land use and production regimes associated with multifunctional and post-productivist landscape transitions. Together, these pathways demonstrate how demographic and land-use changes associated with amenity migration cascade across governance, ecological, economic, and social dimensions.pBy positioning amenity migration as a driver of multi-scalar rural transformation, this paper contributes to land-use scholarship by extending existing amenity migration research beyond demographic mobility and toward a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary rural transitions. The paper further highlights the need for adaptive governance, institutional realignment, and planning approaches capable of responding to increasingly fragmented and multifunctional working landscapes.

Suggested Citation

  • Matarrita-Cascante, David, 2026. "More than a population movement: Post-COVID amenity migration and the contemporary social-ecological transformation of rural working lands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:169:y:2026:i:c:s0264837726002206
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108136
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerardo Cortes & David Matarrita-Cascante & Maria Fernanda Rodriguez, 2014. "International amenity migration: implications for integrated community development opportunities," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(5), pages 507-524, December.
    2. David Matarrita-Cascante & Hugo Zunino & Johanna Sagner-Tapia, 2017. "Amenity/Lifestyle Migration in the Chilean Andes: Understanding the Views of “The Other” and Its Effects on Integrated Community Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-19, September.
    3. David Matarrita-Cascante & Sarah McCord & Rafael Landaverde & Cinthy Veintimilla & Morgan Treadwell & Ty J. Werdel & Jenna Likins & Rika Muhl & Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, 2026. "Beyond the productivist ideal: understanding the drivers of land stewardship among amenity migrants transforming agrifood systems in rangelands," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 43(1), pages 1-16, March.
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    5. Vicki Ikutegbe & Nicholas Gill & Peter Klepeis, 2015. "Same but different: sources of natural resource management advice for lifestyle oriented rural landholders," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(9), pages 1530-1543, September.
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    7. Shaun McKiernan, 2018. "Managing invasive plants in a rural-amenity landscape: the role of social capital and Landcare," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(8), pages 1419-1437, July.
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