I'll Have My Town Medium-Rural, Please

A consideration of the political and social transformations that brought development controls to two California towns shows that efforts to protect rural places can involve an imbedded agenda to change them. An influx of newcomers imported the idea that the towns should be treated as inspirational landscape, as rustic backgrounds for sophisticated lives lived in a country setting. Years ago many planners looked forward to the creation of new settlements that would blend the best of country and city. The article draws on such thoughts and on comments made by leaders in the two towns to explain some of the aspirations, achievements, and contradictions of contemporary attempts to control growth.