This research set out to find out how modern rural settlements function.
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The Role of Rural Settlements as Service Centres - Final Report

Corfe Castle, Dorset.
This research set out to find out how modern rural settlements function. Eight market towns and their surrounding villages were examined with households surveyed about their journey patterns to work and to access services.


The findings highlight the complexity of rural lives and high levels of mobility of rural residents. This work challenges simplistic assumptions about settlement hierarchies, particularly the role of market towns as service centres for rural hinterlands, which is seen to vary in scale and nature according to local circumstances. 

This work underpins the need for planning and other policies to recognise the diversity of settlement function and to be based on robust local evidence. We are taking this work forward via a number of demonstration projects.

Introduction and background
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Contents, Introduction and Executive summary (136kb pdf)
Chapters 1-6 (pages 1-29) (2mb pdf)

Survey findings and maps
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Chapter 7 (pages 30-36)  (113kb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 37-43)  (3mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 44-50)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 51-57)  (3mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 58-64)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 65-69)  (80kb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 70-75)  (4mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 76-83)  (4mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 84-86)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 87-89)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 90-92)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 93-95)  (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 96-98)  (1mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 99-102) (2mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 103-110) (3mb pdf)
Chapter 7 (pages 111-123) (126kb pdf)
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Discussion and recommendations
Brief guide to understanding local settlement function
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Chapter 8 and Bibliography (pages 124-156) (256kb pdf)