''Edgelands'' is a term for the transitional, liminal zone of space created between rural and urban areas as formed by

urbanisation Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly the ...

. These spaces often contain nature alongside cities, towns, roads and other unsightly but necessary buildings, such as power substations or depots, at the edge of cities.

History

The concept of edgelands was introduced by

Marion Shoard Marion Shoard (born 6 April 1949) is a British writer and campaigner. She is best known for her work concerning access to the countryside and land use conflicts. In 2002 she became the first person to give a name to the "edgelands" between town ...

in 2002, to cover the disorganised but often fertile hinterland between planned town and over-managed country. However, a century and a half earlier,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

had already highlighted the existence of what he called "bastard countryside ... ugly but bizarre, made up of two different natures, which surrounds certain great cities"; while Richard Jeffries similarly explored the London edgeland in ''Nature near London'' (1883).

References

External links

Towards a Taxonomy of Edgelands Literature
Literary criticism Cultural geography Geography Environmental humanities {{Environment-stub

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links