Rural places represent the history of decisions made by the people who live in them about building on and using the land. They made these choices based on vernacular knowledge, professional advice, and economic necessity. At their best, the integrity of those decisions about buildings and land management result in landscapes of harmony and, occasionally, stunning beauty.

Farmhouses, barns, and other rural buildings are as intentional in style as those in urban places. Farmhouses are positioned to present particular views to those who approach on roads or driveways and they are arranged within their landscape to create intentional scenery. Scale and style communicate the social and financial status of their owners. At different times in history, builders of rural buildings and landscapes intentionally projected images of modernity and progress, or at other times used historic imagery to recall feelings about the past. They have given to us a landscape that we value and which we continue to adapt to make our own livelihoods.

To participate in rural design that values traditional landscapes is to: intentionally protect and maintain land uses that are rural, preserve traditional buildings and landscape patterns, and design new development to be compatible with rural landscapes.