Intentional communities in rural space

A survey is conducted to understand the withdrawal of intentional communities, which are contested features of a changing countryside, from main stream urban society into rural areas. Based on the survey-data, four types of communities, namely, religious, ecological, communal, and practical communities, which are resulted from clustering, are established. The extend of withdrawal was found to vary between the types, while those communities located in (sub)urban areas remain most integrated in mainstream society. They continue their use of urban space, demonstrating a practical approach that many intentional communities employ towards their withdrawal from the mainstream. The increasing interest in sustainable living, ecology, and organic farming is leading mainstream ideas to the communities indicating that ecological communities will become less contested places in the countryside of the future. The survey also provided an insight into the variations in intentional communities and their dynamic nature.