Opportunities for Rural–Urban Relationships to Enhance the Rural Landscape

Abstract

Increasingly rural areas find themselves in an ambivalent urban context, tending both to build and to preserve the rural landscape. The question is how rural areas could overcome this ambivalence by establishing better relationships between urban and rural areas. In this paper, we aim to reflect on the role of rural–urban relationships. First, we will discuss the divergent perceptions on urban pressure in rural areas. Second, we will analyse the (f)actors for RGS development to enhance the rural landscape. Finally, we will elaborate a territorial approach based on different rural–urban relationships and establish an integrated supply of rural goods and services. The empirical content of this paper has been based on the results of the European project ‘Building new relationships in rural areas under urban pressure’ (RURBAN) conducted in five EU countries.