Rural sustainability and the built environment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is first, to assess the applicability of the ideal of mixed‐use nodal development to a small town and rural setting. Second, it aims to model the patterns of density of the built environment, distribution of amenities and associated variations in travel distances and to show how all three have changed over the last decade in Antigonish town and county (Nova Scotia, Canada). Design/methodology/approach The core of the paper is a quantitative analysis, using GIS software to measure the changes in the built environment described in the second purpose (above). Findings The trend in Antigonish has generally been away from nodal development and towards increased commercial sprawl and increased distances between residences and amenities. However, there are realistic opportunities for reversing this trend. Research limitations/implications The paper suggests improved measures of access to amenities (to include employment) and improved measures of walkability using GIS. Practical implications The findings of this paper are directly applicable to planning to improve the social amenities and environmental sustainability in a small town/rural context. Originality/value There is very little literature on the applicability of theories of nodal development in a small town/rural setting. This paper addresses that problem and brings innovative GIS techniques to bear on it.