The New Rural Dream

By Reeta Partti and Jenni Kovanen

When the American dream was launched in the early fifties, it represented a well scripted - and achievable enough - standard for a bold and decent life. This collective narrative hit like a ton of bricks to the after WWII world thirsting for everything shiny and new.

The novel imaginary sure did it's trick at a time: America was soon enough filled with gadgets and toys according to the ideal. In the big picture, not that much has changed. We are still living the aftermath of this dream both individually and collectively.

Over the decades, the ideas from Californian think tanks have flowed into the visions and goals of almost every self-respecting entity around the Western world.

That being said, the Global Megatrends have become self-fulfilling prophecies in their own right. We have reached a point where the global threats may appear to be greater than the local opportunities.

In the face of across-the-board globalization and urbanization most of the rural villages decide to either turn off the lights altogether or turn the areas into (single source) production reserves.?

In the process, the countryside has become an outcast.

Welcoming the New Rural Dream

Due to this development curve, it might be challenging to envision alternative and appealing rural futures, let alone take action to bring them to fruition. However,

The densification of residential areas is leading to the proliferation of uninhabited regions surrounding densely populated megacities.

This, in conjunction with the countertrend of rural areas thriving alongside extreme urbanization, presents unprecedented opportunities. In response to the preconceived alternatives, the disintegrating countryside becomes an ideal arena for materializing radically unique activities.

With the following future image aka dream we picture a realm as a novel rural lifestyle narrative. Here, the emphasis is in proactivity:

Instead of adapting to the ready-made change, the focus of the New Rural Dream is on how rural areas are empowered to create the new direction and quality of the development themselves!

A Rural Nomad

Boosting co-creativity in the liquid society

Imagine in 2030, a “Rural Nomad” awakens to a beautifully coached day. The schedules, nutrition, rest, and activities, are based on a score combining both the needs of the outside world and the personal aims: the content and rhythm of the day follow the current personal performance and the most important goal.?

Life goes by according to a subtly tuned navigator to serve the personal rhythm and ideals.

The economy is run by the model of a hybrid economical system condensed by the rise of the sharing and creator economy where residents provide their services directly to others and reciprocally procure them from others. In this process, the “Rural Nomad” has been invited, instead of finding solutions, to create problems for rising industries. Simultaneously, the “Rural Nomad” has been offered projects and a position without any ready-made frames.

The era of communities and diversified economies has begun and the number of different forms of cohabitation takes place as the social policy decisions support this disruption further. Here, self-sufficiency plays a vital role in surviving tactics: the era without massive global loans, deals, and alliances.

In this realm, the “Rural Nomad” survives with little system capital earnings, for instance as a recycling strategy planner, social architect, local food selector, professional encourager, residential diplomat, or as an experience stimulator.

The rise of the fourth sector in the form of rural activism, is one example of the development step as the boundary between producer and consumer is disappearing.

The development of the rural infrastructure is emphasized with the dialogue of rewilded nature sites, interiors, equipment, and bits. This is an organic result of the free self-expression of residents and passersby.

Instead of techno-dominance, technological intelligence has formed a deep but equal partnership and coexistence with humankind. Through that, the world is becoming immediate and ostensibly direct. Personal scanners, sensors and drug printers borrowed from the sharing economy services take care of the affairs and health via on-demand biohacking stations with e-consultation by the best global experts.

The possibility of detachment allows for nomadic life to take place and with that, an access to a wide variety of living habitats. This, in turn, will lead to an increase in valuing of empowering locations. More and more “Rural Nomads” from all over the world are flocking to the special rural places on Earth looking for beauty and space around them.

The most appealing are those geographical locations that have both aesthetic values, and can provide facilities to serve mobile lifestyle as a Centre for High Quality of Life.

A Centre for High Quality of Life attracts individuals who resonate with similar vibrations, interests, and missions, and who are drawn to each other's company. The centre operates like a mother ship, transmitting and disseminating principles of existence and action through its smaller satellite points elsewhere in infrastructure. It serves as an essential link for the sake of civilization, solidarity, and the continuity of the species.

Creativity has become the new currency and "GDP" cherished throughout society at any cost. Here, the basic income model and the post-fossil society accelerate this process further.

For the “Rural Nomad” the personal experiment and risk-taking efforts together with daily exercise and routine practises are needed to maintain the much appreciated creativity capacity. Rural areas have special characteristics to boost and inspire radical creativity and with that,

the most unique and unconventional locations increase Creative Tourism. In this development path, artists will be selected for leadership positions to ensure the high-level creative attraction.

Bit-life is counterbalanced by extreme naturalism, shamanism and an off-grid lifestyle that creates completely net-free and electricity-free areas on the earth.

Transport between places is done by walking or with a small assistance via paths, trails, and bridges leading through the forests and over the waterlands. The act of traveling itself is valued even more than the destination, because wandering and adventure nurture creativity.

Be aware of the mammuth!

The radical need to protect nature and boost biodiversity brings back ancient species to the forests. In this process the densely grown forests turn back into diverse oases they once were: the rise of forest meadows, open terrains of old trees and extraordinary natural formations are on the horizon.

About the Authors

Reeta Partti is a Practical Futurist with insight and design background. She wants to present unseen perspectives and envision utopians to encourage organizations and individuals to be bold in their actions. Based on her forecasting experience, it is possible to turn most of our social challenges into positive opportunities.

Jenni Lahtonen is a passionate designer and Wellness BBA student with a background as an entrepreneur in the creative fields. Her magic lies in revitalizing abandoned spaces and places. With her pioneering mindset, she aims to promote rewilding and culture-led rural development as key factors in realizing The New Rural Dream.

*The article is illustrated with images created by AI where the key words and findings of the future image presented serve as the AI prompts.