Short answer
When designing for remote or underserved communities, consider how people adapt to limited local opportunities by creating flexible living and working arrangements, and focus on enhancing their human capital and connectivity to broader economic networks.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Academic Publication (2016)
- Method
- Case Study
- Sample
- 20 village headmen, 82 heads of household, and 82 individuals within households, plus data on 153 other individuals.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
When direct market access is severely limited, individuals and households adapt by establishing multiple residences to pursue non-agricultural income, leading to a divergence between nominal and actual living situations. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2016 study published in Academic Publication. Using Case study with 20 village headmen, 82 heads of household, and 82 individuals within households, plus data on 153 other individuals., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for remote or underserved communities, consider how people adapt to limited local opportunities by creating flexible living and working arrangements, and focus on enhancing their human capital and connectivity to broader economic networks.
Multi-local living emerges as a strategy to overcome market access limitations in rural development.
When direct market access is severely limited, individuals and households adapt by establishing multiple residences to pursue non-agricultural income, leading to a divergence between nominal and actual living situations.
Academic Publication · 2016
Key Findings
- 01Limited accessibility to markets and services in the Baleh river basin hinders local economic development and leads to population loss.
- 02Most rural households rely on non-agricultural income sources, creating a disjuncture between nominal rural residence and actual living situations.
- 03Working-age family members engage in 'multi-local living,' maintaining residences in multiple locations to secure paid work beyond the agricultural sector.
- 04Income for these households is increasingly determined by human capital and opportunities found outside the immediate rural environment.
Application
Design takeaway
When designing for remote or underserved communities, consider how people adapt to limited local opportunities by creating flexible living and working arrangements, and focus on enhancing their human capital and connectivity to broader economic networks.
How to apply
When designing services, infrastructure, or economic programs for remote communities, investigate existing patterns of mobility and income generation. Design solutions that support or leverage these adaptive strategies, such as remote work infrastructure or flexible educational programs.
Project actions
- 01When researching a user group, ask about where they spend their time and where they earn their income, not just where they live.
- 02Consider how your design might be used by people who are not always physically present in the primary location.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a detailed ethnographic account of user adaptation in a specific context.
- +Connects theoretical models (von Thünen) to empirical observations of contemporary rural life.
Limitations
This research is a specific case study and might not apply to all rural areas. The findings are based on data collected over a short period.
Reliability & validity
The study's validity is enhanced by its in-depth qualitative approach and the triangulation of data from different household members and village leaders. Reliability could be a concern due to the subjective nature of interviews and the specific context of the study.
Think critically
How might the concept of 'multi-local living' influence the design of essential services like healthcare or education in remote areas?
Design Principles
"Design for adaptive mobility and decentralized economic participation."
This highlights how design solutions for rural development must consider the complex realities of inhabitants' lives, which may extend beyond geographical proximity to markets. Understanding these adaptive strategies is crucial for creating interventions that are relevant and effective in improving livelihoods.
What This Means for Your Design
If a place doesn't have enough jobs or ways to sell things, people will make homes in more than one place to find work elsewhere and send money back.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this insight to justify investigating user mobility and decentralized income streams in your design project's user research phase.
- 2.Reference this study when discussing how users' living situations might be more complex than initially assumed.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The study by Garai Abdullah (2016) on the Baleh river basin reveals that limited market accessibility in rural areas can lead to 'multi-local living,' where individuals establish multiple residences to pursue non-agricultural income. This adaptive strategy highlights the need for design projects to consider users' complex mobility patterns and decentralized economic activities, rather than assuming a single, static place of residence and work.
Source
Academic Publication
Accessibility and development in rural Sarawak. A case study of the Baleh river basin, Kapit District, Sarawak, Malaysia
journal · 2016
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about multi-local living emerges as a strategy to overcome market access limitations in rural development?
- When designing for remote or underserved communities, consider how people adapt to limited local opportunities by creating flexible living and working arrangements, and focus on enhancing their human capital and connectivity to broader economic networks. Evidence: Academic Publication (2016).
- Why does "Multi-local living emerges as a strategy to overcome market access limitations in rural development." matter for design?
- This highlights how design solutions for rural development must consider the complex realities of inhabitants' lives, which may extend beyond geographical proximity to markets. Understanding these adaptive strategies is crucial for creating interventions that are relevant and effective in improving livelihoods.
- How can designers apply this research?
- When designing for remote or underserved communities, consider how people adapt to limited local opportunities by creating flexible living and working arrangements, and focus on enhancing their human capital and connectivity to broader economic networks.
- What were the main findings?
- Limited accessibility to markets and services in the Baleh river basin hinders local economic development and leads to population loss.. Most rural households rely on non-agricultural income sources, creating a disjuncture between nominal rural residence and actual living situations.. Working-age family members engage in 'multi-local living,' maintaining residences in multiple locations to secure paid work beyond the agricultural sector.. Income for these households is increasingly determined by human capital and opportunities found outside the immediate rural environment.
- What research method was used?
- Case Study with 20 village headmen, 82 heads of household, and 82 individuals within households, plus data on 153 other individuals..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2016 journal from Academic Publication.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing services, infrastructure, or economic programs for remote communities, investigate existing patterns of mobility and income generation. Design solutions that support or leverage these adaptive strategies, such as remote work infrastructure or flexible educational programs.
- What are the limitations?
- The study is specific to the Baleh river basin and may not be generalizable to all rural contexts. The data collection period was limited to three months. The reliance on river transport as the sole access method is a unique factor.