The Extra Mile: Perceived Accessibility in Rural Areas

With increased mobility and the pursuit of economies of scale, the provision of local services and opportunities in rural areas decreases. But just how problematic is this? This dissertation examines perceived accessibility to daily activities in rural areas in the Netherlands, contributing to the normative evaluation of spatial inequalities in accessibility. 12% of rural residents report being dissatisfied with their potential to access desired activities, compared to 8% in more urbanized areas. Despite this difference, the spatial variation in perceived accessibility is not as pronounced as disparities in the number of opportunities would suggest. Rural satisfaction levels are similar to urban areas because rural residents generally demand less in terms of local access to services, and additional activity locations in more urbanized regions only provide limited incremental benefits. However, diminishing gains from more opportunities also imply a tipping point below which a further loss of facilities in rural areas can quickly lead to insufficiency for larger population segments. Additionally, rural accessibility currently relies heavily on car use, influencing social norms and potentially evoking a sense of injustice towards places with more opportunities. It follows that reflecting on subjective experiences improves the assessment of rural accessibility challenges, helping to achieve a balance between social, environmental and economic policy goals. Evaluations of accessibility should, therefore, explicitly draw on how it is perceived to ensure effective, efficient and fair rural accessibility policies.