Alex Pearson

Within the UK a total of three million new homes are to be built by 2020, two million of them by 2016 (Communities, and Local Government, 2007). In 2009 the Scottish Government has stated that a significant proportion of new houses are to be provided in rural environments in small Scottish towns and villages. The doctoral research seeks to suggest an alternative form of rural development which is combines appropriate scale, identity and environmental aspects for a contemporary Scottish rural context.

Generally contemporary medium scale development is peripheral suburban style development, expanding accessible rural villages. This has blurred the relationship between the suburban and the rural, creating sub-rural. Sub-rural development utilises nationalised suburban housing models and construction methods, rather than models specific to rural areas, creating suburban estates in rural areas. Any rural development has a significant effect on the landscape of rural Scotland, this reinforces the view that any development should appropriately reflect and complement the existing rural identity (A+DS 2006).

The forthcoming seminar firstly aims to outline the field: contemporary Scottish Rural housing, outlining the issues in current practice. It will then define the boundaries of the research, explaining the terms; appropriate, contemporary and alternative in the context of the study. The seminar also unpacks some of the visual thinking processes utilized through out the research. Finally the draft framework for the research projects will be outlined and opened up for discussion.