How can we measure rurality?

How can we measure rurality?

1. Mobile phone coverage

   • Terrain influencing coverage
   • Broadband service
     • Retail network

2. Very rural

   • No mobile phone coverage
     • No services
       • No street lighting
         • Poor quality roads

3. Very Urban

   • Total coverage
     • Many services
       • Plenty of street lighting
         • Best quality roads

4. Cloke's index of Rurality 1971

   • % of workers in agriculture and farming
     • Mechanisation + changes in agriculture
       • Decrease in agriculture population
   • % population over 65yrs
     • More retired in rural areas
       • Higher proportion of elderly to young people
   • % working age population 16-65
     • Varies with distance from employment centres and proportion in higher education
   • Distance from urban area
     • Greater distance = more rural areas
   • % population change among resident population
     • Rising due to in-migration but falling in remote rural areas
   • % employed outside of settlement