Second-home Development Research Articles

Second Homes, Rurality and Contested Space in Eastern Norway

From international experience, second homes often lead to ‘contested space issues’. This seems to be grounded mainly in the fact that second-home owners and local populations share the same spaces but disagree about the future development of them. Tensions are often rooted in second-home owners’ eagerness to prevent local developments that may spoil their new-found rural lifestyle. This article, based on a study of eastern Norway and particularly the municipalities of Ringebu and Kragerø, examines how conceptions of Norwegian rurality and the Norwegian second-home phenomenon impact on the level and types of contestations connected to second homes in eastern Norway. The main conclusion is that second homes are a less contested issue in eastern Norway than in many other countries, mainly because vast unpopulated and relatively cheap land has made possible a separation of first and second homes. Simultaneously, rural restructuring processes are changing this picture. Rural land for second-home development is becoming a confined resource in many attractive areas, especially along the coast where the density of second and permanent homes is quite high. Thus, the potential for contestations between second-home owners and rural residents is increasing.

The return of the property question in the development of Alpine tourist resorts in Switzerland

This contribution demonstrates how the issues and current problems regarding real estate management in Swiss Alpine tourist resorts emerge, for an important part, from the inconsistencies of the Federal land management system set in place at the end of the 1970s, system based on zoning scheme and excluding virtually any estate instrument, including the capital-gain levy. In these very favourable conditions for landowners, who also see land ownership strengthened by its introduction in the Federal Constitution at the end of the 1960s, the growth coalitions structuring the local power in many tourist towns usually planned oversized building areas (and often badly located) which have facilitated the development of second homes industry to the detriment of productive estate home industry. Faced with the failure of planning and zoning to limit these trends whose negative effects on the development of tourism seriously begin to be felt in the 1990s, we encounter, now in recent years, the post-eradication of the real estate question in discussions concerning the development of tourist resorts particularly in implementing real estate instruments, such as quota systems, moratoriums or taxes, intervening so much more directly than only zoning on land and real estate owners, contingency arrangements initially excluded from spatial planning policy.

Perceived Water Conservation Attitudes and Behaviours in Second-Home Island Settings

The availability and quality of water is an issue of increasing concern especially in small islands experiencing the pressures of second-home development. This article explores the perspectives and behaviours of permanent and second-home owner island residents with respect to their freshwater management practices on Mayne Island, British Columbia. It reports that although few differences exist in the stated water uses of these residents, discrepancies exist in the perceived contributions each group makes to this issue. These perceptual differences contribute to a lack of the collective social capital needed to implement an effective water management plan for the area. The findings recommend a variety of strategies for overcoming this problem.

Sociodemographic effects on place bonding

Patterns of amenity migration and recreational home development in much of the USA since the 1990s are changing the local sociodemographic make-up and the relationships formed among people and place. We use the psychological constructs of place attachment, place identity, and place dependence to assess differences in these relationships among new and long-time residents and absentee and local residents in three rural counties in the Inland Northwest. We measured place bonding using data from a mail survey of local (n=531) and absentee (n=239) property owners. We compared structural models suggested in the literature on the psychology of place, and found that a two-dimensional model representing place attachment and place identity was appropriate for both local and absentee property owners. Local owners exhibited stronger place attachment and place identity than absentee owners. Place bonding constructs were also substantially less impacted by the total number of years a property owner had resided on his or her property than by the number of months per year they lived on the property. The findings indicate that sociodemographic changes such as those manifested in second-home development may lead to a population that is less emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively connected to the places in question, while sociodemographic changes from permanent in-migration may have a substantially smaller effect on place bonding.

The Thorny Issue of Identifying Second Homes in South Africa

Second-homes research is a growing area of academic interest in South African urban studies. A number of exploratory investigations have indicated the economic impacts of second-home development. However, little attention has been given to the methodological challenges associated with conducting such research. In particular the ability of current methodologies to cost effectively identify second homes has proven to be limited. The paper provides an outline of how second homes have been identified in South Africa to date and explores a new methodological refinement to such an endeavour.

An Inquiry Into Second-Home-Induced Displacement

The aim of this study is to shed empirical light on the debate concerning second-home tourism and displacement of permanent residents. This is done by studying the most exclusive second-home area in Sweden, the Stockholm archipelago, and especially the island of Sandö, one of the most affected islands. Data were collected using a questionnaire examining all out-migrants from the island during the period 1991–2006. The questions concern out-migrants’ reasons for leaving the island and the extent to which second-home development had an impact on their migration decision. The core question is whether second-home tourism poses a displacement effect on the permanent population, through price inflation and limiting the supply of dwellings.

Resident Attitudes Towards Mountain Second-Home Tourism Development in Norway: The Effects of Environmental Attitudes

Rural tourism, especially through second-home development is increasing rapidly in much of Europe, the USA and Canada offering new economic opportunities for local communities, but also challenges related to environmental impacts and differing perceptions within communities about appropriate development paths. This study examines associations between the environmental attitudes of residents and attitudes towards second-home development in two regions in Southern Norway, with community attachment and economic dependency as additional predictors. Ecocentrism was found to have a strong negative effect on attitudes towards tourism development, while, in contrast to previous findings, community attachment did not have significant effects. Economic dependency is significantly related to attitudes towards development; both ecocentrism and economic dependency are mediated by other variables, such as expected impacts and benefits. The findings are important in planning to reduce potential conflicts.

Resident Attitudes Towards Mountain Second-Home Tourism Development in Norway: The Effects of Environmental Attitudes

Rural tourism, especially through second-home development is increasing rapidly in much of Europe, the USA and Canada offering new economic opportunities for local communities, but also challenges related to environmental impacts and differing perceptions within communities about appropriate development paths. This study examines associations between the environmental attitudes of residents and attitudes towards second-home development in two regions in Southern Norway, with community attachment and economic dependency as additional predictors. Ecocentrism was found to have a strong negative effect on attitudes towards tourism development, while, in contrast to previous findings, community attachment did not have significant effects. Economic dependency is significantly related to attitudes towards development; both ecocentrism and economic dependency are mediated by other variables, such as expected impacts and benefits. The findings are important in planning to reduce potential conflicts.

The Development of Second Homes' Assessed Property Values in Sweden 1991–2001

The second home phenomenon is deeply rooted within the Swedish society. To own a second home or have frequent access to a second home is important and desirable for the Swedish population. The comparably high level of second home ownership in the country manifests this. Second homes are scattered all over the country, with main concentrations in or near densely populated areas. Some, not unimportant, concentrations can be registered in places with relatively low population density and at a considerable long distance from major population centres. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in second homes among the Swedish population, but also increasingly from incoming visitors. This has resulted in a growing competition for properties, especially those located in attractive areas with high amenity values. The purpose of this paper is to identify attractive second home landscapes and their characteristics in Sweden. Utilizing data from the comprehensive geo‐referenced database ASTRID (generated by Statistics Sweden) covering all second homes in Sweden 1991–2001, attractive second home landscapes are examined and defined.

The Displacement Myth: Second Home Tourism in the Stockholm Archipelago

Second homes are important for many households in Sweden. However, second homes are not uncontroversial and sometimes cause conflicts between the second home owners and locals. In attractive destinations, second homes are frequently blamed for creating price inflation, increased property values and higher property tax for all dwellings, including permanent homes. It is argued that this development is causing a displacement of permanent residents from these areas. However, others argue that the current depopulation trend in attractive second home destinations is caused by a restructuring of the rural labour market. This study departs from this societal and scientific conflict and has its aim in testing the displacement theory. This is done through an empirical case study dealing with essential issues regarding the development of second homes, permanent homes and changes in property values. The case area is the most popular second home destination in Sweden: the archipelago of Stockholm. Results show that increased assessed property values are caused primarily by increasing numbers of permanent homes, and the area is being repopulated rather than depopulated. The study concludes that no evidence of displacement caused by second home demand can be traced on a regional geographical level.

Visible, yet unknown: Reflections on second-home development in South Africa

This paper has set out to plot some of the current trends and issues associated with second-home development in South Africa. It was argued that whilst second homes are not new to this country, they nevertheless comprise a phenomenon that has for a number of reasons remained invisible to the scholarly gaze. The discussion provided a brief geography of the localities where second-home development has been taking place and the different types of consumption—and production-led migration systems that underpin these developments. On the whole such second-home development in South Africa is, as is so often the case elsewhere, concentrated along its coastline. It was noted that a number of regions have experienced the impacts of such development, with large concentrations found in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces. What is clear from this discussion is that second homes are, at least for the time being, properties that fulfil a holiday function, with weekend homes and those associated with retirement seldom being the main reason for such developments. Indeed, second-home development in South Africa is mainly linked to the family holiday home. Although these properties are mainly owned by South Africans, a discernible increase in foreign interest in second homes in this country is starting to emerge. This, it was argued, has led to a range of impacts, many of which are not desirable to the host community. Whilst there is currently a remarkable silence concerning the impact of second homes, the issue of foreign ownership might focus attention on the broader issues surrounding this phenomenon.

Development of Second-Home Tourism in Denmark

Second-home tourism is the predominant branch of the tourism industry in Denmark today. Second homes are privately owned cottages and houses that are used for recreational purposes. This paper presents an overview of the tradition of second-home use, its origins in Denmark in the nineteenth century and its subsequent development up to the present day. Different stages in Danish second-home development are presented, which have culminated in second-home tourism's dominance of the Danish tourism industry today. Second-home tourism developed in the late nineteenth century when artists and citizens of Copenhagen discovered the recreational value of the countryside, mainly in the small villages at the coast. Small cabins for weekend use supplemented the early homes of the richer people in the early 1920s and 1930s. From 1950 to 1970, second-home development increased enormously. The character of non-commercial tourism changed in the 1960s and 1970s when Danish second homes became vacation homes for domestic and foreign tourists. Since the 1970s, second-home development has been restricted to certain recreational areas at the coast. In the 1980s, primarily German vacationers began to make commercial use of second homes. In the mid-1990s, the peak of commercial second-home overnight stays was reached with about 17 million overnight stays per year. Since then, commercial second-home tourism has slowly decreased. Today, more than 218,000 second homes exist.

La périurbanisation dans l'espace rural grec / Peri-urbanisation in Greak rural areas

Peri-urbanisation in Greece occurs in three major ways. First, around the two cities of Athens and Salonika with the outward spread of industry and the extension of residential zones. Second, by the progressive diffusion of activities around small and medium-sized towns. Finally, along coastal zones and in the islands, in more less discontinuous form, linked to tourism. The study of two villages in the region of Corinthia in the Peloponnese illustrates peri-urbanisation around Athens : population increase, a change in agricultural specialisation and the development of second homes.

Paradise Threatened: Land Use and Erosion on St. John, US Virgin Islands

/ Rapid development and the concomitant increases in erosion and sedimentation are believed to threaten the reefs and other marine resources that are a primary attraction of St. John and Virgin Islands National Park. Average annual sediment yields from undeveloped areas were estimated from a sediment pond and a mangrove swamp as less than 20 and less than 40 t/km2/yr, respectively. Geomorphic evidence indicates that plantation agriculture during the 18th and 19th centuries did not cause severe erosion. Since about 1950 there has been rapid growth in roads and development due to increasing tourism and second-home development. Our field investigations identified the approximately 50 km of unpaved roads as the primary source of anthropogenic sediment. Field measurements of the road network in two catchments led to the development of a vector-based GIS model to predict road surface erosion and sediment delivery. We estimate that road erosion has caused at least a fourfold increase in island-wide sediment yields and that current sedimentation rates are unprecedented. Paving the dirt roads and implementing standard sediment control practices can greatly reduce current sediment yields and possible adverse effects on the marine ecosystems surrounding St. John.KEY WORDS: Erosion; Sediment yield; Roads; Dry tropics; Development

Altitudinal Resource Zonation versus Vertical Control: Land Use Conflict on Two Hawaiian Mountains

The applicability of traditional altitudinal zonation models for mountain land use has recently been called into question where levels of accessibility and lowland economic penetration are high. The Hawaiian volcanic mountains of Mauna Kea (elevation 4,205 m) and Mauna Loa (4,170 m) are currently embroiled in a variety of planning and land-use conflicts deriving directly or indirectly from the rapid pace of lowland (coastal) urbanization and population growth. The slopes of these two tropical mountains encompass dramatic environmental diversity ranging from lowland rainforest (windward) and desert (leeward) to snow-capped summit peaks. The distinctive series of altitudinal ecozones reflect the steep topo-climatic gradients typical of mountainous trade wind islands. Aboriginal Polynesian land tenure in Hawaii was based on vertical control of narrow strips of village land running from the sea to the mountains, thus assuring relative self-sufficiency through access to different resource zones. These land ownership patterns have persisted into the modern era. Current mountain management and planning are complicated by this ownership heritage which runs across horizontally-tiered resource zones, and this has led to serious fragmentation of forest watershed and endangered wildlife habitat. This paper includes analysis of existing land use and use conflicts along windward and leeward altitudinal transects on both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa; it also evaluates the complex of evolving interactions between long established agricultural and forest extractive land uses (e.g., grazing, sugarcane, coffee, macadamia nuts, and native forest products) on the one hand and recently emerging uses dependent on new technologies (i.e., wood-chipping, geothermal energy development, and astronomical research) on the other. Additional indirect impacts derive from tourist-related, coastal economic development and include demands for expanded mountain recreational access, second-home development, golf courses, and forest watershed protection necessary to sustain coastal development. Integrated management strategies are suggested to rationalize economic development and mountain resource conservation.

Second Homes in the Alpine Region of Yugoslavia

The development of second homes that are occupied only seasonally or for periods of leisure is not an unusual phenomenon in countries with a socialistic form of government. In 1981 there were 332,800 second homes in Yugoslavia and they represent an important component of the cultural landscape, especially in the Slovenian Alps where the income of inhabitants is five times higher than the national average. Many of these new homes are in the traditional resort areas but holiday homes are also expanding into what were formerly small agricultural villages. This paper outlines some significant results of a statistical study of the distribution of second homes and discusses changes brought about during the last twenty years.