Urban-rural Connections Research Articles

Urban–Rural Interactions in Latvian Changing Policy and Practice Context

This article aims at a better comprehension of urban–rural interactions as a spatial concept and its utilization for spatial and regional policies. Based on literature review and on interviews with planners and experts, the article explores how the concept of urban–rural interactions is defined, characterized and structured. The understanding of urban and rural, how they are connected provides a basis for capturing complexities and development of urban–rural interactions. The study, reviews urban–rural policies and practises in Latvia. Contemporary built-up areas and lifestyles are influenced by imprints of past urban–rural interactions. Aspects of contextuality, cross-sectorality and informality have to be taken into consideration when urban–rural interactions are applied to the policy field. The article introduces a typology to capture both the diversity and particularity of places in terms of urban–rural connectivity. An insight is given how the current Latvian local government territorial structure can contribute to building target-oriented urban–rural partnerships.

The role of agriculture and urban-rural connections in lagging rural areas of Hungary

The long-term strategic objectives of the EU Rural Development Policy in the next (2014-2020) programming period are as follows: the competitiveness of agriculture, the sustainable management of natural resources and the balanced territorial development. In this strategy agriculture remains the key element as solution for lagging rural areas. Summing up our research the social functions of traditional agriculture based on local resources, the strengthening of viable farms, the increasing importance of diversification and the labor-intensive products with high added-value have to be emphasized in the new rural policy. Besides agriculture the improvement of urban-rural connections are essential for lagging rural areas as well, especially in terms of employment, availability of services and allocation of local rural products to urban markets.

ICT Sector Performance Review for Indonesia

Now fully recovered from the Asian crisis of the late ‘90s, the Indonesian economy is perhaps at its post-crisis healthiest. The once sluggish telecom markets too have started showing an impressive growth. Indonesian telecom industry is gradually attaining maturity while more opportunities are made available for the users. Despite the urban-rural connectivity disparity and the immaterialized ‘Palapa Ring’ – the USD 300 - 500 million mega broadband nationwide digital backbone to connect entire Indonesia - the environment is far improved from 2006 and even 2008, when the first two sector performance reviews were done.Numbers relate the story best. Parallel to the per capita GDP (real) increase from USD 1, 1196 in 2004 to 2,590 in 2009. The communication subsector (including broadcasting) has increased its contribution to GDP from 2.35% to 3.04% for the same period. The aggregate telecom revenue in 2010 was USD 11,000 million. While eleven mobile operators have issued close to 200 million SIMs (about 84 SIMs per every 100 in population) by 2010, the number fixed (wireline and wireless) subscribers have risen to 36 million (15 for 100) with Compound Annual Growth Rates (CAGR) of 33% and 21% respectively between 2005 and 2010. Four providers offer wireless services while wireline, which is now identified as a constricting market, remains the monopoly of one of the two incumbents. Broadband landscape too has undergone a shift with more and more users relying on faster and easily available mobile broadband solutions than on fixed.

Urban-Rural Connections: Banda Aceh through Conflict, Tsunami and Decentralization

Indonesia’s northwesternmost province of Aceh has been the scene of one of the most catastrophic natural disasters and large-scale reconstruction efforts in human history following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. It has also been the site of one of Asia’s most protracted armed separatist conflicts, as well as a uniquely successful case study on the global map of conflict resolution. Since 2005, when an internationally mediated peace process in Helsinki led to resolution of the Aceh conflict, the province has become the subject of Indonesia’s biggest experiment with democratic decentralization via the conferral, in 2006, of “self-government” to Aceh within Indonesia. Many scholars use the provincial capital of Banda Aceh as a base, not least because of the city’s historical and contemporary relevance as a center of important events and moments of transformation. Yet, to date, little attention has been paid to Banda Aceh itself as the primary unit of analysis. In this chapter, we provide a Banda Aceh-centered analysis of transformations within and about Aceh since 1998. This is done by tracing the changing position of the city provincially, nationally, and internationally, as well as internally in its relations with other (mostly rural) parts of Aceh. In so doing, we bring into view largely overlooked urban-rural cleavages and interrelations.

Emerging local authority networks within the framework of local administration reform in Hungary

Hungary is struggling with its fragmented local governmental system. The so called “public service reform” aimed to offer equal access to all as regards local public services, as well as to encourage efficiency of activity at local administrative level. The government transferred to local actors the responsibility for the implementation of reform commissioned centrally. The organisational and geographical frameworks for the rationalisation of local public administration were in turn devised at micro-regional level. This paper mainly aims to analyse urban-rural connections, as co-operative networks of local authorities have already been created. The issue is the extent to which the horizontal cooperations created to organise public services can be effective if their vertical connections are very weak, and, further, if there is no mechanism to counterbalance regional differences.

The Son of the Hawk Does Not Remain Abroad: The Urban–Rural Connection in Africa

Abstract:Most rural–urban migrants maintain significant ties with their communities of origin in Africa south of the Sahara. Contrary to “modernist” assumptions that these ties would fade away, they often continue to be strong. This urban–rural connection has important consequences for rural–urban migration, for urban–rural return migration, for the rural economy, and for the political process. To understand the processes underpinning the urban–rural connection we need to distinguish different migration strategies and to deconstruct the notion of “rural.” Depending on their migration strategies, urban residents connect with a range of actors at the rural end: more or less closely related kin, kinship groups, non-kin groups, villages, larger political entities. These connections play out differently for men and women.

The Son of the Hawk Does Not Remain Abroad: The Urban-Rural Connection in Africa

The Son of the Hawk Does Not Remain Abroad: The Urban-Rural Connection in Africa

Introduction: the urban–rural connection: changing issues of belonging and identification

Since the 1960s researchers have emphasised the continuing importance of rural–urban connections as a special aspect of urbanisation in Africa. It is clear that since then, in many parts of Africa, the involvement of urbanites with their ‘home’ village has increased rather than decreased. Four of the articles in this issue were originally papers presented at two ASA panels (Toronto, 1994) which set out to explore these rural–urban connections. The content of the exchanges and the moral involvement of city people and villagers in such relations vary greatly. The variations have important implications for regional differences in, for instance, the development of new modes of accumulation or the cementing of ethnic networks. The other article (by Dickson Eyoh) addresses the effects of recent political changes in this context—a theme also raised by the other articles. In many parts of Africa democratisation seems to evoke an obsession with ‘autochthony’, origin and belonging. The increasing role of elite associations, as an alternative to multi-party politics, makes the rural connection of vital importance to urban politicians. Hence ‘the village’, and more generally the region of origin, acquire new importance as a power base in national politics.

Achats et ventes de terres par les indiens de Cuenca au XVIIe siècle : éléments de conjoncture économique et de stratification sociale

Land procurement and sale by the cuenca indians of the 17th century: constituents for financial conjunction and social status Abstract Through the present article, the author analyses the land procurement-sale contracts implemented by the Cuenca orregimiento Indians (Ecuador) of the 17th century. Following the appearance of methodological problems, he analyses the various information provided by the source, related to the nature of transactions performed, the "identity" of indians participants and perspective of the contracts; a chronology of phenomena is proposed, designing for the current century the fluctuations of both, procurement and sale and the urban-rural connection. Through the present study, a contribution is proposed to the predicament of indian participation in the colony market —in this case, territorial and realtor— and simultaneously, an estimate to social migratory and internal distinction of the indian colony world.