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The recent Covid‐19 pandemic highlighted rural–urban interactions, in particular the fact that cities are dependent on the accessibility of non‐metropolitan and rural spaces and vice versa. This article seeks to understand how these interactions contributed to emergent relational spaces of rurality during the Covid‐19 crisis. The article analyses politicised mobilities between localities and rural–urban linkages that are tied to the sustainability of rural change. The study focuses on two countries: Estonia and Finland, exploring thematic narratives on second‐home practices and related politics during the outbreak of the Covid‐19 crisis. The explored regions were the South Savo region in Finland and the island of Saaremaa and northern coastal villages in Estonia. The analysis indicates ways in which the mobility restrictions and disturbances triggered by the Covid‐19 pandemic attributed certain demands and hopes to rural areas and led the shift in rural–urban interactions. The article contributes to the understanding of co‐existences between im/mobilities and multi‐local living and sustainability in rural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late twentieth century, many developed countries have experienced population deconcentration, labelled as counterurbanization. There has been an academic discussion on the meaning, validity and universality of this concept, drivers of counterurbanization and its impacts on rural areas. To date, research on counterurbanization mostly apply static and discrete definitions of residence, migration and population, which is an increasingly simplistic view in the contemporary reality of a growing multitude of forms of mobility, often related to dual residence. Particularly large-scale quantitative studies on counterurbanization are confined by existing statistical practices. This paper attempts to overcome this obstacle and describe the transformation of the settlement system in Finland acknowledging the role of second home mobility. To achieve this goal, it introduces two alternative measures of population, seasonal and average population, and analyses their spatial dynamics between the years 1990 and 2010 based on georeferenced grid statistical data. The study finds that although registered population has been concentrating during the period in analysis, seasonal population has been increasingly dispersed due to the growing number of second homes. It shows that the counterurbanization process, though not noticed by conventional statistics, does occur in Finland, manifested by seasonal rather than permanent moves. The article concludes that various forms of mobility should be taken into account when analysing the urban-rural population dynamics and transformations of settlement systems as well as in rural development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing nature and enjoying natural amenities have long been identified as key motives for rural second home tourism. However, the more people travel and spend time in the natural environment, the more it is disturbed by their actions and activities. In this paper, we examine how people perceive the environmental impacts of rural second home tourism and how they justify their views. The study focuses on Finland where rural second homes are widespread. Analysis is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among Finns in 2012 (n = 1189). Responses from different groups of respondents (second home owners, regular users of second homes and non-users) are quantitatively and qualitatively analysed. The results indicate that the Finnish respondents generally think that second home tourism poses some degree of harmful environmental impacts. However, it is the second home owners who are least worried about these environmental impacts. They generally justify their opinions using a “place-related” perspective, that is, by referring to their own experiences and actions at the cottage site. In contrast, the non-users see environmental impacts more often from a broader perspective by referring to the wider environmental interconnections with second home tourism. In our discussion, we introduce the notions of place-based (relative) and phenomenon-based (relational) environmental perceptions as a potential framework for future research on this topic. In mitigating the increasing environmental impacts of second home tourism, understanding the environmental perceptions and awareness of second home owners and users is crucial to be successful in mobilising sustainable options and environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism produces an increasing share in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These are mostly derived from transport emissions, and long-haul air travel in particular. Short-haul domestic tourism is believed by some to be a potential substitute for long-haul tourism. Using the example of Finland this paper examines the extent to which domestic second home tourism can substitute for other leisure trips and therefore contribute to reductions of travel-generated GHG emissions. Survey data are used to evaluate the CO2emissions caused by travel to domestic second homes, and to create statistical models that verify if the owners of domestic second homes travel to other leisure destinations less frequently than others, and if they cause less emissions by their leisure mobility than others with comparable economic and demographic background. We find that although the owners and users of domestic second homes travel for other leisure purposes less frequently than others, this does not mean their leisure mobility generates less emissions. Overall, owners of second homes produce significantly more CO2by their leisure mobility than non-owners. The use of second homes does not seem to be a substitute for high emission long-haul travels, but rather a part of an overall highly mobile leisure lifestyle. It is therefore necessary to better understand and influence the entire range of individual mobility behaviours in order to reduce travel-related GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russian purchase of second home properties in Finland has been the subject of heated national and local debate in the Finnish media. This study examines the attitudes of permanent and second home residents to Russian second homeowners in Savonlinna, Eastern Finland ( N = 494). Three separate attitude groups were identified in relation to the effect of Russian second home owners in property prices; the Russians as an economic opportunity; and, the Russians as a threat. Negative attitudes were common, and it is possible that the relations between the Russian second homeowners and local residents will become more contested over time. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second home tourism is one of the most popular forms of nature-based recreation in Finland and other Nordic countries. A recurrent explanation for its popularity is the idea of postwar Baby Boom generation's return to their roots in the countryside. Younger generations, however, do not share a similar life history in the countryside and human-nature relationship than older generations. This generational shift may have consequences on the future of second homes as well as rural economies. In this article we ask is Generation Y interested in second home tourism? How important are second homes to their leisure patterns? And what is the role of nature for visiting second homes? The study is based on a survey sent to 4,000 Finnish citizens. The results suggest that interest in second homes will not decline with Generation Y. The youth had access to second homes equally often as older respondents and they were even more eager to get a second home in the future. There were no differences in the valuation of amenities at second homes and the youth did not appreciate services and leisure facilities any more than older respondents. The centrality of the cottage in Finnish life will likely remain strong for many years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural communities are getting more diversified in terms of people's backgrounds, sources of livelihood and interests towards the rural landscape. A common way to discuss rural community change has been to contrast in-migrants and seasonal residents with long-term rural residents. In this article, we aim to challenge this segmentation. We ask what it is to be a dweller in the modern countryside and how much the residential status has to do with people's interests and use of space. Based on a postal survey in a case study area in Finland, we look into the differences in the valuation of different leisure activities performed in rural space between second home owners and permanent residents. After dividing permanent residents and second home owners into further subgroups based on their spatial and temporal possibilities to engage in rural leisure, we found that there are no specific activities or groups of activities typical for certain groups of rural leisure space users. Differences between local residents and second-home owners are rarely explained by this simple dichotomy, rather the differences are better explained by spatial and temporal accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of place attachment has been found to be useful in exploring cottagers' evaluations and management preferences of cottage areas. The point of departure for the article is the conclusion of many previous studies that the natural environment is important to cottagers' place attachment. To understand this attachment and the role of nature in more detail, the article explores the meanings given to nature as well as the ways nature is used and encountered in the context of cottages. Based on interviews conducted in three parks in Finland and Canada, the results show that nature is important as both an abstraction and a concrete platform for different activities. The meanings given to nature affect the ways it is perceived and used and vice versa, but at times what people say does not align with their actions. The results suggest that cottagers' management preferences cannot be fully understood merely by studying their environmental preferences and attitudes or the strength of their place attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-border and international second home ownership is a worldwide phenomenon and growing in popularity as people seek desirable environments further away than before. As the desired landscapes are also likely to possess a considerable local and national value, research is needed to find out how host societies perceive and receive the newcomers. This paper explores the Finnish public debate on foreign second home ownership from 1990 to 2008, a period that has witnessed a considerable growth in foreign property ownership. The paper uses the concept of cottage landscape to analyse how second homes are positioned nationally and how foreign second home ownership is debated in relation to the national definitions and valuations. Based on changing emphases and fears related to the phenomenon, three periods of public debate are distinguished. The results demonstrate the iconic image of cottage landscape in the Finnish society by showing how foreign second home ownership is perceived as a threat to the Finnish way of life, landownership rights and national identity. From the perspective of the host society, foreign second home ownership is a complicated and emotional matter with potential to raise opposition and even conflicts when the foreign demand focuses on locally or nationally valued landscapes. Therefore research on the internationalisation of second home ownership can no longer ignore the perspective of the host society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper focuses on the representation of post-productive countryside in Finland by exploring how the rural is presented in the context of second home tourism. Being an integral part of rural areas and their history, second homes are an established example of the post-productive consumption of countryside. The international and Finnish literature on rural images provides the theoretical framework for the paper. Research on rural visions has been active in recent years with an emphasis on the Anglocentric interpretations of the rural idyll. This paper contributes to this discussion by providing an empirical review of Finnish popular discourses of second homes. The review is based on an analysis of second-home owners'' motives and media representations. The second home countryside is analysed as a farmscape, wildscape and activityscape. The results suggest that the Finnish second home landscape is seen as wilderness (1), life at second homes imitates visions of traditional rural life (2), and the environment is used for traditional consumptive and leisure activities (3). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Second homes are an integral part of leisure history in many developed countries. They are also increasingly popular in modern societies. While the material well-being of home and work has increased, many people increasingly seek simpler life forms. An essential motive to use and purchase a second home is the landscape. This article explores the concept of second-home landscape on the basis of contemporary research and a case study of second-home owners in the Finnish Lakeland. Attributable to theories of human geography, three prominent approaches of second-home landscape are distinguished: physical, experiential and cultural. The case study illustrates that these are not mutually exclusive, but the landscape has many faces. Even if the physical attributes form the solid basis for the second-home landscape, it does not exist independentally of perception. It is produced through the everyday practices of people, which are adjusted to social and cultural discourses. In the strain of modern society, second-home landscape is often perceived as an ideal habitat. It, however, is in constant change in relation to time and space so that future generations, inheritors and buyers of the cottages will have their say in the contexts in which the landscape is interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second homes have been interpreted as a significant indicator of the development of new patterns of mobility and dwelling in Western countries. However, changes in population distribution, population composition, family structures and tourism preferences pose a reason to challenge the general assumption that second home tourism would continue unchanged in the future. This paper reviews representations of the future of second home tourism in the Finnish media and policy discourse. Mainstream trends and emerging weak signals are recognized and further analysed in reference to the international context. As a result of the analysis four distinctive themes related to the future of second home tourism are distinguished: dual dwelling, internationalization, alternative forms and regional differentiation. These themes suggest a change in the traditional Finnish second home culture, often portrayed as a personal and national utopia. With the exception of dual dwelling, all the themes have so far been overlooked in the official policy discourse. The paper addresses a new theme in Finnish as well as international second home literature as so far only little has been published on the long term future of second home tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]