Sustainable Rural Communities

Productivity of the rural West Midlands depends on vibrant and sustainable rural places which provide successful environments for living and working.  However, defining the ingredients for successful rural communities is complex, as it requires a range of evidence to be considered together reviewing how they interact.  The evidence below starts to unpack this issue and includes evaluation reports which will inform future interventions.

Other organisations produce a range of evidence and links to their websites are available from the Related Links section to the right side of the page. The West Midlands Regional Observatory has a searchable resource database containing contributions from many organisations.

Rural Disadvantage Indicator (2010) - PDF - 859kb

Evaluation of the Market Towns Initiative - PDF - 723kb

Sustainable Rural Communities (2008) - PDF - 282kb

Urban Rural Interdependence (2008) - PDF - 268kb

Rural Community Sustainability: Final Report (2008) - PDF - 2mb

Rural Community Sustainability - Thematic Chapter 1: Housing (2008) - PDF - 1,010kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 2: Low Carbon Principles (2008) - PDF - 348kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 3: Employment Provision (2008) - PDF - 302kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 4: IT Infrastructure (2008) - PDF - 211kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 5: Economic Inclusion (2008) - PDF - 891kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 6: Green infrastructure (2008) - PDF - 600kb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 7: Critical Rural Services (2008) - PDF - 2mb

Rural Community Sustainability – Thematic Chapter 8: Rural Economy (2008) - PDF - 882kb

Birmingham, Black Country and City Region Urban Rural Interdependencies Study (2008) - PDF - 6mb

An Evaluation of the Market Towns Programme - Final Report (2008) - PDF - 2mb

West Midlands Market Town Programme Evaluation Report – Town Summary Report (2008) - PDF - 799kb

West Midlands Market Town Programme Evaluation Report – Best Practice Case Studies (2008) - PDF - 2mb

The Extent, Size and Characteristics of the Migrant workforce in the Vale of Evesham : Executive Summary (2006) - PDF - 224kb

The Voluntary and Community Sector Lessons Learned from the Foot and Mouth Crisis : Summary Leaflet (2004) (Opens in new window) - PDF - 641kb

Learning from the long-term Impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on the Voluntary and Community Sector in the West Midlands : Executive Summary (2003) (Opens in new window) - PDF - 112kb

The Value and Potential of Local Food Initiatives in the West Midlands (2003) - PDF - 37kb

Urban Rural Interdependence in the West Midlands (2003) (Opens in new window) - PDF - 394kb

Market Town regeneration in the West Midlands – Executive Summary and Recommendations (2000) - PDF - 5mb

Information, studies and evidence is also available on three other areas. To view this information select from the following links:

• Access to Services

• Sustainable Land Management

• Rural Economy