The PeakOilNYC Relocalization Project includes a separate research area, where those dedicated to preserving the culture and sustainability of the larger metropolitan populations can find information about moving to outlying rural areas and beginning the process of repairing the land and rejuvenating local food production.. The starting point for Rural Retrofitting research has to be a valid set of questions, which we have listed below. These questions are not all-inclusive, and we will add to them as various issues are brought to out attention. It is our goal to list the results as part of the Relocalization Knowledge Base.

Basic Questions for Rual Retrofitting:

Where to buy land:

1. Is it close enough to the regional transportation systems?
2. Is it easy to reach from the metropolitan area?
3. Are there known toxic waste sites nearby?
4. Are there industrial sites or power plants – and how does that positively or negatively affect the location?

Buying the land:

1. Mortgage or cash – should one take on a mortgage in the current economic climate? If so, what are the options?
2. Living space – is a communal/dorm-like environment best? Separate units? Co-housing?
3. Taxes – what are the property taxes like in the proposed area? How often are property values assessed? Are there great differences between agricultural and residential land taxes?

Living on the land:

1. Does the land already have usable buildings (both for dwelling and storage)?
2. If so, what is the condition of the buildings? Can the existing buildings be easily retrofitted to be passive solar and energy-efficient?
3. If not, what would it take to build the necessary structures? (i.e. cost, materials, etc.)

Proper/sustainable use of the land:

1. Analysis of Permaculture & other biointensive methods – is the climate humid? Arid?
2. What is the length of the typical growing season?
3. Soil repair – what is the quality of the soil?
4. Water resources – Is there a river/spring/aquifer nearby? Annual/seasonal rainfall amount? Are the local water tables stable or falling?
5. What are the edible plants already indigenous to the area?
6. What crops are specifically suited to the area?
7. What are the animals indigenous to the area?
8. Can the land support sustainable domestication of animals? (meat, poultry, eggs, dairy)
9. Off-grid energy production – is there potential for high yield solar/wind power? Hydro? Local production of bio-diesel?
10. What are the potential effects of global warming? (e.g., will the Atlantic Conveyor shut down, at what point, and what will that do to the U.S. if it is affected?)

Turning the land into a “sustainable” living arrangement:

1. Paying taxes – how to pay both property and personal taxes while living a sustainable lifestyle?
2. How to create enough surplus for barter or other potential needs?
3. Low-energy transportation – biodiesel, local rail systems?
4. What are skills, trades, industrial sectors and businesses that will enable people to make a living despite economic dislocation and energy shortages?

Other potential issues:

1. What is the mindset of the existing community? (i.e., are they tolerant, religious, xenophobic, violent, etc.)
2. What are the options for food storage?
3. What kind of relationship with “authority” can one expect? (i.e., interference from government)