Rethinking Attractiveness. The Transformation of Tangible and Intangible Factors in Post-Rural Areas

Scientific community and policy-makers recently devoted an increasing attention to the development opportunities for rural areas, most notably with the identification of attractiveness factors as potential drivers of economic growth and socio-environment quality achievements. While regional studies identify the attractiveness of rural areas in their recreational function for urban creative class, building upon Florida’s seminal contribute; current post-rural studies signals that rural areas may present distinctive factors of attractiveness. These emerge from the diffusion of a post-rural countryside, in contrast with traditional understanding of the rural as mere location for amenities provision. Post-rural studies focus on the agency of actor-networks crossbordering the urban/rural divide, and influencing the material and symbolic production of the rural by mobilising multiple sets of power relations. Particular attention is dedicated to the inside-outside dynamics in the generation of governance patterns and the role of external actors in the new (rural) capitalism. The process is exemplified by the transformation of Chianti area, which help at defining attractiveness factors in post-rural contexts. This contribute provides, eventually, some insights on specificities of post-rural areas that work as attractive factors for engaging translocal networks in place-building processes.