Perceptions of gateways in the rural landscape

In this study an examination of gateway perceptions in rural communities is undertaken to determine if there is a dominant perception of gateways as transitional passages in rural communities today. The hypothesis for this paper is that the dominant perception of gateways has moved full circle over time from a perceptual passage between domains to a functional structure allowing and restricting passage from one domain to another to a symbolic structure representing political, cultural or spiritual transitions of a society back to the perceptual transitional passage. By examining the function of the gateway throughout history and by surveying a sample of rural residents an investigation of dominant perceptions is explored. It is found through an interpretation of composite mental maps that the dominant perception of gateways in rural residents surveyed is the transitional passage. In planning applications the acceptance of this hypothesis allows for methods which strengthen gateway implementation programs and the fabric of rural communities.