A place-based diagnostic framework for analysing rural transitions under suburbanisation: Planning orientations and perception-based indicators

The article proposes a place-based diagnostic framework for analysing rural differentiation in the context of suburbanisation. The framework is used in an exploratory and diagnostic sense to identify potential misalignments between formal housing policy orientations and residents’ perceptions. Drawing on a comparative study of six suburban rural municipalities in Poland, we reconstruct local housing policy orientations through a systematic analysis of strategic and planning documents, in which institutional awareness among housing policy-makers is articulated and linked to survey-based indicators of perceived urbanisation pressure and housing policy expectations (N = 607). The findings reveal patterns of alignment and misalignment between institutional planning orientations and resident perceptions. Municipalities characterised by integrated and intentional planning orientations demonstrate greater coherence between policy directions and social expectations, whereas reactive or fragmented orientations are associated with intensified tensions and perceived governance deficits. The quality of local housing policy orientations appears to be partially linked to the level of socio-economic development. By conceptualising policy misalignment as an exploratory diagnostic indicator of governance tensions, the article contributes to debates on rural transitions, intra-rural differentiation, and place-based development. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of integrating the analysis of local housing policy orientations with perception-based indicators. Substantively, it offers a transferable analytical framework for identifying governance challenges and transformation pressures in suburbanising rural areas beyond the specific national context.