Mass tourism is a critical agent of change, with a proven capacity of forging new landscapes and thoroughly modifying the internal structure of a community. Thornbury, a rural settlement located in South-western Ontario, is on the brink of such shift: With the emergence of a new culture of tourism and the introduction of ‘upscale’ resort developments, its physical conditions are rapidly being reconfigured and the character of its social landscape is on the precipice of being irrevocably altered. These luxury vacation facilities occur in a dispersed fashion on the fringe – a condition which has not only initiated a radical modification and decentralization of social and economic activity, but has also resulted in the decline of traditional neighbourhood ties. Likewise, this occurrence has introduced an influx of newcomers who advance an identity and lifestyle clearly distinct from that of Thornbury’s quiet community of rural citizens and retirees. In this context, these newly arrived inhabitants soon become dwellers of “limited liability”– those who reside within a community, but do not identify with it – as Thornbury lacks the infrastructure and amenities to support potential exchanges and direct interest to the qualities of traditional civic life. As such, the thesis will examine the question of: What is the role of architecture in sustaining local identity in an altered social fabric? Or, more specifically, how can social relations in a transformed community be advanced through the use and design of public spaces? The work will attempt to outline the trajectory of urban change and understand the factors that account for present circumstances. The outcome of the research will generate a series of responsive designs that hinge upon the idea of uplifting ordinary landscapes and everyday ruralism. Essentially, the proposed strategy is one in which rurality is integral to the solution: Methods which harness rural assets and refashion them in a progressive manner will be utilized to inspire the formation of a new local culture while establishing an interface between opposing population segments. Overall, this study is intended to serve as a template to be used by communities in Ontario for mitigating the effects of changing rural geographies.

Mass tourism is a critical agent of change, with a proven capacity of forging new landscapes and thoroughly modifying the internal structure of a community. Thornbury, a rural settlement located in South-western Ontario, is on the brink of such shift: With the emergence of a new culture of tourism and the introduction of ‘upscale’ resort developments, its physical conditions are rapidly being reconfigured and the character of its social landscape is on the precipice of being irrevocably altered. These luxury vacation facilities occur in a dispersed fashion on the fringe – a condition which has not only initiated a radical modification and decentralization of social and economic activity, but has also resulted in the decline of traditional neighbourhood ties. Likewise, this occurrence has introduced an influx of newcomers who advance an identity and lifestyle clearly distinct from that of Thornbury’s quiet community of rural citizens and retirees. In this context, these newly arrived inhabitants soon become dwellers of “limited liability”– those who reside within a community, but do not identify with it – as Thornbury lacks the infrastructure and amenities to support potential exchanges and direct interest to the qualities of traditional civic life. As such, the thesis will examine the question of: What is the role of architecture in sustaining local identity in an altered social fabric? Or, more specifically, how can social relations in a transformed community be advanced through the use and design of public spaces? The work will attempt to outline the trajectory of urban change and understand the factors that account for present circumstances. The outcome of the research will generate a series of responsive designs that hinge upon the idea of uplifting ordinary landscapes and everyday ruralism. Essentially, the proposed strategy is one in which rurality is integral to the solution: Methods which harness rural assets and refashion them in a progressive manner will be utilized to inspire the formation of a new local culture while establishing an interface between opposing population segments. Overall, this study is intended to serve as a template to be used by communities in Ontario for mitigating the effects of changing rural geographies.

農地是農業生產的基礎，為不可再生的資源，具有區位性及不可移動性。農地的功能，已由單純的糧食生產經濟性功能，擴充到提昇生活品質與維護生態環境的非經濟公益多功能性，並全方位考量產業、環境及農村需求。 農業的多功能必須建立在農地之上，透過農地之上的農業經營，發揮農地的功能與價值，因此農地的功能與價值呈現多元面向。農業有保障國家人民糧食安全，自然生態環境保育之功能，並非其他任何產業可取代，它仍是國家經濟建設中的基礎根本產業。因此在探討農業發展同時不能僅就農業單一經濟生產產值面向去衡量價值的唯一指標，而應從全面、多元的面向觀點去重視農業在國家整體建設的貢獻。 經由本研究實地調查訪談分析後，發現結論如下所述：一、台東地區近年來的農業生產及鄉村型態有些區域經本研究實地訪查結果確實產生了轉變。二、台東鄉村地區農地變更使用，有些對農地資源保護及農業生產環境影響有益，有一些則無益。三、台東地區農業生產及鄉村型態變化，某些地區的演變確實依農業多功能主義的內涵。所以農業多功能主義在台東如本研究實地訪談瞭解是有成型的形式及傾向農業多功能主義之內涵。 經由本研究實地訪查台東地區鄉村農業之個案分析後，建議如下：一、加強民眾參與農地保護，未來對於農地保護，民眾參與扮演了重要的角色，政府應如何使農民參與農地保護的計畫，以及如何使開發者在選擇開發地點時避開重要農地，以達到其保護農地之目的。二、提高對休閒農業認知，轉變傳統的農耕觀念，發展休閒農業觀光活動，調整優質農村產結構，大力發展以觀光休閒遊憩為主的農業第三產業，促進農村勞動力的轉移，擴大及提高農業的創業機會，增加農民收入，改變鄉村風貌。三、建立三生一體的永續經營的理念，為因應急遽轉變中的農業發展環境，農業建設必須產業、農村、農民、消費者一同考量，發揮農業生產、農民生活及農村生態三生一體的功能。 關鍵字：農業多功能、後生產主義、農業三生一體、鄉村轉型

L’agriculture et le secteur rural jouent un rôle primordial dans le processus de développement des pays à base agricole. Cett efonction ne peut être assurée qu’à l’aide de politiques publiques qui tiennent compte de la diversité et de la complexité desmilieux ruraux. Le préalable est donc d’avoir des connaissances approfondies de chaque contexte et des dynamiques qui ysont en cours. Ce travail propose alors d’analyser, dans une perspective microéconomique, les relations entre structurationsociale des milieux ruraux et transformation structurelle avec une application à Madagascar, dans la région d’Itasy. La class ede la Petite Prospérité, qui est une adaptation de la notion de classe moyenne en milieu rural pauvre, est alors utilisée commegrille d’analyse. A cette fin, la première étape de recherche consiste en une construction conceptuelle, théorique etméthodologique de la classe de la Petite Prospérité en mobilisant le cadre conceptuel des moyens d’existence ruraux afin deproduire un cadre d’analyse opérationnel. Dans un second temps, le cadre défini est mis en oeuvre dans la stratificationmultidimensionnelle de l’espace social en Itasy à l’aide d’une méthode de classification mixte sur des données quantitativesde 2008. Cette étape permet de mettre en évidence les différentes classes sociales et de Petites Prospérités en Itasy quireflètent l’hétérogénéité de la nature et de l’efficacité des moyens d’existence des ménages ruraux. Dans une troisième étape ,une analyse dynamique des groupes de Petites Prospérités est menée à l’aide de la combinaison de méthodes quantitatives etqualitatives sur une période d’observation longue. Plusieurs trajectoires associées aux différentes classes sont observées etpermettent de comprendre les processus de construction et de transformation des organisations productives familiales enItasy. La dernière étape du travail traite la problématique spécifique de la demande de crédit et de l’adéquation de l’offre surle marché financier en Itasy. Il apparait une forte segmentation de la demande de financement en fonction des groupessociaux et la difficulté de l’offre disponible à satisfaire leurs besoins, malgré l’existence de produits innovants. Des politiquesinclusives et adaptées à chaque classe de ménages s’avèrent donc nécessaires pour assurer un processus de transformationstructurelle rapide et harmonieux en Itasy. / Agriculture and rural sector play a key role in the development process of agriculture-based countries. This function can beensured only by public policy that takes into account the diversity and complexity of rural areas. It is therefore essential todeepen the knowledge of each context and the ongoing dynamics. This study introduces an analysis of the relationshipsbetween rural social structure and structural transformation through a microeconomic perspective, with an application inMadagascar, in the Itasy region. Specifically, the Moderate Prosperty class, which is an adaptation of the middle class notionto poor rural areas, is used as an analytical framework. To this end, the first step aims to conduct a conceptual, theoretical andmethodological construction of the Moderate Prosperity notion by using the rural livelihoods framework and provides anoperational conceptual framework. Second, the conceptual framework, thus defined, is used to implement a multidimensionalstratification of the social space in Itasy by conducting a classification method on quantitative data dating from 2008. Thisstep aims to define the various Moderate Prosperity and social classes that reflect the heterogeneity of the nature andprofitability of the rural households’ livelihoods. Third, a dynamic analysis of the Moderate Prosperity groups is conductedby combining quantitative with qualitative methods based on a longer observation period. Several trajectories linked to thevarious classes can be observed. They allow us to understand the construction and transformation process of the familyproductive organizations in Itasy. The last step uses the Moderate Prosperity framework to study the specific issue of thecredit demand and the supply adequacy on the financial market in Itasy. It appears that the financing demand is highlysegmented according to the social groups and the available supply cannot meet their financing needs, despite the existence ofinnovative products. Inclusive policies that are adapted to each household profile are therefore necessary to ensure a rapidand harmonious structural transformation in Itasy.