Print

Geczi, Emilian

Natural Resource Planning Program

2005

M.S.

As the viability of natural resource-based industries and manufacturing declines, many rural towns turn to the service sector--and to tourism in particular--for economic sustainability and community development. During this process, towns frequently become engaged in conscious and explicit efforts to promote an appealing image to visitors and investors. But, how does a community know or choose what place-images to present? In this research, I explore how two rural Vermont towns (Island Pond and Barton) that are transitioning to a service economy construct and publicize an attractive character of place. In particular, I pay attention to the role played by local planning and visioning efforts in promoting or resisting certain visions of the towns. I study "place" as the object of a discursive practice. Rather than assuming that the character of a place is determined simply by the experiences of a group of people in a given physical environment, I explore the material and conceptual operations that allow certain experiences to form an official, 'natural,' 'unique,' and desirable sense of place. The findings indicate that the transition to a service economy is not linear and unproblematic, and that the legitimacy of new visions of place can be an effect of rhetorical strategies and political tactics. As we attempt to build a sustainable future for our communities, we need to design rural tourism planning processes that do not shy away from the political aspects of place claims. I address the utility and techniques of a discursive conceptualization of place and the implications of this approach for studying place within the context of rural tourism planning.