Second homes in rural areas: Reflections on a troubled history

Abstract

Second homes have been on the research agenda for a considerable amount of time. Since the early 1990s, a renewed interest in second homes and second home research can be noted that also mirrors the global extension of the second home phenomenon. Still, second homes have received inadequate treatment in social sciences research. For example, despite the fact that most second homes are located in rural areas, they have seldom been addressed within rural studies. The article offers a review of second home research with respect to issues raised, disciplinary affiliations, and related problems and shortcomings. The absence of second homes in rural studies is highlighted in particular. It is concluded that second homes should be brought back into rural studies, but also that the rural has to be integrated more clearly into second home research.

Keywords:

• regional development
• rural areas
• second homes
• tourism

Acknowledgements

The work for this article was conducted as part of the project ‘Invisible’ Populations in the Countryside: Assessing Relationships of Second Home Users to Rural Areas in Sweden, financed by the Swedish Research Council Formas. The author also wishes to acknowledge the comments of the anonymous referees.