Construcţia neo-ruralului la porţile oraşului: vectorii satisfacţiei rezidenţiale în suburbiile emergente
The Construction of the New Rural at the City Gates: Vectors of Residential Satisfaction in Emerging Suburbs

Summary/Abstract: The current study proposes a journey in the symbolic geography of city outskirts, as a satellite-area that streamlines the development of the neo-rural. It investigates this space through the lens of the motivational profile of the residents who opted for the exocentric. The research strategy implies the exploration of the causes and implications of the shifting internal migration patterns by which middle class families leave the city for a suburban residential alternative carrying a strong rural footprint. This space is radically different from the referential landmarks that these individuals were accustomed to. Primary empirical data collected through a questionnaire-based micro-survey and in depth interviews reveal the main factors of residential satisfaction and the coping mechanisms that support the insertion in the new environment. A conclusion envisions the difficulty to negotiate a fragile balance between autarchic ambitions and relational deprivation. A cost-benefit analysis underlines a comparison in the perceptions on the suburban and neo-rural spaces, when expectations encounter upfront the concrete field reality. The most under-estimated drawbacks refer to the additional costs brought about by the under-developed transport infrastructure, which limit mobility. Another setback lies in the diminished budget of discretionary time, high costs with the maintenance and investments for house and garden and the increased vulnerability to natural hazards, the risk of isolation and the scarcity of a viable social support network. The research discussion involves recommendations at an individual level, as well as macro-level suggestions for public policy improvement, especially regarding housing, urbanism and local administration.

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