Go Home! Beyond the urban–rural divide in France: an analysis of how ‘mental proximity’ benefits territorial development

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article calls attention to the role that mental proximity plays in driving organised proximity, alongside geographical proximity. We studied mental representations of urbanites and rural inhabitants during the city-dwellers flight during the COVID-19 crisis and found that press articles and readers’ comments were a relevant source for revealing mental proximity between rural inhabitants and newcomers. We analysed articles published during the first lockdown in France. Our results indicate that urban and rural dwellers have strongly opposed mental representations of people and spaces, on both the idyllic and infernal registers. However, verbatims also suggest potential pathways for working towards mental reconciliation.