Interpreting the repopulation of rural communities: The case of private neighbourhoods in kibbutzim

Now in the early 21st century after several decades of population shrinkage, kibbutzim are experiencing renewed growth. In-migration to kibbutzim reflects the re-appreciation of rural living, a phenomenon sought by counterurbanites and gentrifiers alike. Drawing on two regions (exurban and peripheral) in northern Israel, we examined the case of migrants to newly-built spaces in kibbutzim known as private neighborhoods. We analyse the characteristics of migrants and their motivation for migration, probing the framework of rural gentrification to study repopulation under different conditions and constraints. In accordance with the literature, migrants to kibbutzim value the well-known benefits that rural spaces have to offer but their profiles and their impact on rural communities are different than those prescribed by the literature. Acknowledging their conceptual merit, counterurbanisation and, more specifically, rural gentrification, would benefit from reflecting on the role of organizational, institutional and spatial variations in producing diverse routes for the repopulation of rural space.