Urban-rural Interaction Research Articles

Technology amongst the fields: mini campuses as endogeneous growth poles in lower density regions – a case study from the nuremberg metropolitan region

The purpose of this paper is to report about the impact of Ansbach University of Applied Sciences’ specialized mini campuses on their surrounding rural lower density regions by considering theoretical regional innovation models, spatial planning concepts as well as Ansbach University’s mission(s). The approach we use is pragmatic due to the author’s scientific publications and the author’s professional experience. For that, newer scientific publication to the key words mentioned below are used for an interdisciplinary line of sight, and press releases and internal data provided are qualitatively evaluated for this study’s practical part. Our study reveals that Ansbach University’s pragmatic local strategy of appropriately placing specialized mini campuses in rural outskirts has remarkable impact on the innovation processes in the lower density region over time. Our mini campuses follow a clear local Triple Helix (TH) innovation strategy by University-Industry-Municipality cooperations, meanwhile tending to focus also Quadruple and Quintuple Helix stakeholder groups. Besides showcasing local innovation processes triggered by our mini campuses the paper thematises rural-urban interaction scenarios due to the threat of shrinking peripheral areas in metropolitan regions. This case study supports policy makers and regional or local deciders by offering ingredients for the set up of local strategies. For universities in low-density areas the paper can be of value for counteracting a brain-drain to metropolitan centers, thus contributing to spatial equal life conditions by giving modern living, studying, researching, working and recreating an attractive local country-side accent.

The Interaction between Urban and Rural Areas: An Updated Paradigmatic, Methodological and Bibliographic Review

The relationships and interactions between rural and urban spaces have long been of interest in the territorial sciences. However, the approaches taken to these questions have evolved in line with the changing characteristics of the two types of territories, reflecting new relationships and structures. From these premises, we update the concept of rural–urban interaction by means of an extensive bibliographic review, which, among other results, highlights: (1) the profound change that has taken place in recent years in rural–urban interaction through processes such as de-agrarianisation, the tertiarisation of the economy and improvements in transport and communication infrastructures; (2) the resulting obsolescence of earlier typologies and procedures focused on discrimination between rural and urban environments, rather than on the interaction between them; (3) the difficulty of establishing valid, widely applicable typologies, given the profound differences in terms of (a) the scale and content of the statistics available in each country and (b) the territorial background in terms of economic functions and the characteristics, ancient and modern, of human settlement; (4) the predominance of an urban-centric approach, to the detriment of more traditional rural functions, such as agriculture, the importance of which is diluted by its low relative weight in terms of employed population and contribution to GDP. Consideration of these findings leads us to propose a new approach to the question of rural–urban interaction, reflecting the multifunctionality of rural spaces, and we identify useful areas for future research.

Algorithm of Apriori-Based Rural Tourism Driving Factors and Its System Optimization

Rural tourism, as a vital component of tourism, is critical to the development of rural economies, farmers’ income, rural civilization, new rural construction, and urban-rural interaction. Simultaneously, as the size and complexity of data sets grow larger, how to improve the efficiency of association rule algorithms for mining large data sets has become a hot topic in association rule mining. Rural tourism development that is cultural and creative not only contributes to rural revitalization, but also to the preservation and inheritance of rural culture. The Apriori algorithm is the most widely used and influential algorithm for mining Boolean association rules, and the majority of current algorithms are extensions of the Apriori algorithm. Demand, supply, marketing, and support forces of rural tourism, which are the core driving force of rural tourism development, are formed by the basic needs of each subsystem of rural tourism. One of the main methods is to promote the sustainable and healthy development of rural tourism in accordance with the nature, characteristics, and laws of rural tourism destination construction, in order to create a dynamic system for long-term development and establish a rural tourism development dynamic system. The study of rural tourism driving factors and their system optimization is proposed in this paper. The main tourism dynamic system is adopted by the association rule algorithm of Apriori, the driving factors of rural tourism development are analyzed in the paper, and the system optimization method is proposed, all based on the Apriori algorithm. In terms of support, the Apriori algorithm is 0.436 higher than the CD algorithm and 0.568 higher than the SVM algorithm, and the Apriori algorithm can greatly reduce database size and improve record reading speed. As a result, the findings of this paper can be used to improve the spatial layout of rural tourism and to develop urban-rural tourism.

Benefits of rural-urban interactions for sustainable food security in Iran

Benefits of rural-urban interactions for sustainable food security in Iran

Socioeconomic Determinants of Homegardening in the Southeast of Mexico: An Endowments-Based Livelihoods Framework

In the vast literature on homegardens, most of the studies have focused on describing their properties and functions, while there is scant knowledge about the socioeconomic determinants of homegardening patterns. This paper contributes to filling this gap by assessing the planned agrobiodiversity of homegardens in Yucatán, Mexico, and studying the association between homegardening patterns and contextual and household characteristics. In doing so, the paper draws on key elements of the Capability Approach and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. Data was collected in four Yucatecan communities showing different urbanization levels, the heterogeneous presence of a Mayan Indigenous population, and diverse attachment to traditional agricultural livelihoods. A mixed-methods approach was followed, involving household surveys and interviews, and quantitative analysis informed by qualitative insights. Principal components analysis, cluster, and regression analyses were applied to develop a homegarden typology and identify associations among four homegardening patterns and five relevant household characteristics: (1) the household structure and family life cycle; (2) ethnicity; (3) rural-urban interactions; (4) wealth; and (5) participation in government-led development interventions. The paper contributes to broader debates on the nexus of agrobio-diversity and sociocultural and economic interactions and on how these influence alternative pathways to the dominant trend of agrobiodiversity loss.

Formal and Informal Planning-Dominated Urban Village Development: A Comparative Study of Luojiazhuang and Yangjiapailou in Hangzhou, China

Urban villages, namely villages encircled by urban environments, are unique phenomena that proliferated during China’s rapid urbanization process, as well as important development issues for many Chinese cities at present. This article focuses on two planning approaches for urban villages, dominated by the government’s uniform and formal planning and villagers’ spontaneous and informal planning practices, aiming to examine which planning approach is more conducive to urban village development. The two planning approaches for urban villages have simultaneously appeared in Hangzhou, a Chinese metropolis with a combination of high-speed economic growth, a unique geological environment, and a long cultural history, providing appropriate comparative study cases for this research. Two urban villages, Luojiazhuang and Yangjiapailou, located in plain and hilly areas in Hangzhou, respectively, and developed through the two planning approaches were selected as study cases. Primary data were collected based on field investigations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaire surveys. The villagers’ rental income, shopkeepers’ business benefits, and tenants’ residential satisfaction were investigated to compare the development of the two urban villages. Results indicate that compared with the formal planning-dominated approach, the informal planning-dominated approach achieves continuously rising rental income, more stable business benefits, and higher residential satisfaction, better suited to urban village development. This study contributes to coordinated urban–rural interaction in the urbanization process and enriches the formality–informality debates from a spatial planning perspective.

How Do Population Flows Promote Urban–Rural Integration? Addressing Migrants’ Farmland Arrangement and Social Integration in China’s Urban Agglomeration Regions

China’s urban–rural relationships have been changed dramatically by the intensifying population flows, especially in urban agglomeration regions. This study contributes to the interpretation of urban–rural integration mechanisms in urban agglomeration by constructing a conceptual framework of migration-related resource flows. Taking the Wuhan urban agglomeration as an example, migrants’ farmland arrangement, migration pattern, and social integration have been investigated to uncover the spatial and temporal characteristics of the urban–rural interaction, based on the data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey in 2012–2017. The findings indicate that the farmland circulation in the Wuhan urban agglomeration was generally low, but slightly higher than that of the national average. The central city, Wuhan, had a high degree of family migration and social integration, indicating stronger resource flows in developed areas. However, its farmland circulation level was lower than that of non-central cities. The unsynchronized interaction of resources in urban and rural areas should be taken seriously, especially in areas with a relatively developed urban economy. The advantages of the central city in absorbing and settling migrants confirmed the positive impact of the urban agglomeration on promoting urban–rural integration.

Cultural aspects of rural-urban interaction (based on the materials of the peasants' seasonal work at the beginning of the XX century)

Cultural aspects of rural-urban interaction (based on the materials of the peasants' seasonal work at the beginning of the XX century)

Measurement of urban-rural integration level and its spatial differentiation in China in the new century

Urban-rural integration (URI), as a tendency of urban-rural development worldwide, is an inevitable way to create a coordinated and sustainable human society. China has been haunted by a variety of issues related to uncoordinated urban-rural interaction in recent decades and is in the midst of a critical stage faced with great challenges and opportunities as well in realizing urban-rural integration. Therefore, only by fully understanding the URI characteristics in different regions over vast China can we better formulate and implement targeted strategies and regionally adapted policies to boost URIs in the new era. This paper develops a conceptual framework based on the basis, driver and goal (i.e., BDG framework) of the URI system, which could potentially reflect the interaction mechanism between urban and rural areas. Then, the URI index (URII) was constructed based on 39 indices to measure the regional differentiation and explore the spatiotemporal evolution of the URI level from 2000 to 2018. The results showed that: (1) during the study period, the overall URI in China remained at a low level, and the evolution of the URII demonstrated a U-shaped curve, with 2006 as the inflection point, after which the URI level continuously increased. (2) The URII was characterized by significant spatial agglomeration as “high in the east and low in the western and central regions”. Hot spots of the URI level included Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Fujian in China's eastern part, while the cold spots were concentrated in the transition zones between the eastern and western parts of China, mainly composed of Sichuan, Hubei, Shaanxi and Gansu. (3) Three types of URIs were identified using the latent profile analysis (LPA) method, corresponding to the early, middle and later stages of URI development in China, and their spatial distribution presented a gradient descending pattern from the southeast coast to the northwest. In the future, it will be necessary to focus on the characteristics of the basis-driver-goal indices and the nine related second-level indices of each URI type to strengthen the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses to further realize national URI development. This study will provide a scientific reference for the effective implementation of rural revitalization and regional coordinated development strategies.

A Novel Model for Detecting Urban Fringe and Its Expanding Patterns: An Application in Harbin City, China

Urban fringe is an active expanding belt, indicating urban-rural interaction processes. Previous studies have attempted to define urban fringe as the transitional area between urban and rural areas, but there is a lack of quantitative analysis of the periphery boundaries. We developed a novel, the Spatial Segmentation Model (SSM), to detect the extent of urban fringe via calculating the share of the built-up land. Within the urban fringe, we statistically compared the number of built-up patches in each direction and described four urban expanding patterns (stable, sprawling, leaping, and mixing patterns) indicated by the empirical analysis. The results show that this model can reliably detect the urban fringe and could reveal urban growth characteristics. We find the spatial territory changes are highly relative with transport infrastructures in Harbin. Meanwhile, the roads density in the urban core are higher than in the urban fringe. Especially for city roads, roads density in the urban core is more than 4 times higher than in the urban fringe. The growth of the urban fringe is closely related to the development of social economies as well as the space policies and development plans designed by governments. Similar to the post-industry cities worldwide, Harbin should take action to address population decline. Effective land-use and suitable urban growth strategies play an important role in alleviating urban shrinkage. Thus, understanding the dynamics, urban expanding patterns, and driving factors in the urban fringe can help us form a basis for future urban development.

Unseen food: The importance of extra-market small farm's production for rural households in Europe

Small farms are a key part of the system of food flows that happen outside of marketing channels, and which is a crucial source of food for to the most vulnerable part of the world population living in the rural or connected to the rural through family and other social links. Food Self-Provisioning (FSP) is the largest share of these informal flows. For Europe and European small farms today, the role of FSP is relatively un-known. In this paper we address the relative weight and relevance of extra-market arrangements in small farms in Europe, thus contributing to the understanding of the multi-dimensional role of small farms in the regional food system they are part of, and also in the wellbeing of their own household. The analysis is based on 739 face-to-face interviews to small farms, in 24 regions of Europe across a North-South and East-West gradient. We show evidence that FSP is important in all types of small farms, and even if all small farms are in some way linked to the market, they continue producing food which circulates outside the market and may be quite relevant for the farm household, as well as for strengthening social ties in the rural communities and rural-urban interactions.

Network Governance Arrangements and Rural-Urban Synergy

Increasing attention has been paid to the importance of balanced rural–urban interaction to sustainable regional development. Yet, our knowledge on the elements of network governance for such interaction is scarce. The aim of this paper is to study what kind of network governance arrangements currently exist, how they can be improved, and whether evolutionary governance paths can be identified. We analyse five existing and evolving cases of functioning rural–urban interaction in European Union (EU) member states, using a network governance framework as an analytical lens. We supplement the governance analysis with examining what kind of spatial understanding or combination of different spatial lenses the studied rural–urban governance arrangements rely on, as well as with the role of smart development in the studied cases. Our results emphasise the significance of division of power and collaborative decision-design in guaranteeing balanced and mutually beneficial interaction. Furthermore, we recommend changes in current policies in order to tap into the potential of rural–urban synergy.

Will Rural Collective-Owned Commercial Construction Land Marketization Impact Local Governments’ Interest Distribution? Evidence from Mainland China

To promote the harmonious human-land relationships and increased urban-rural interaction, rural collective-owned commercial construction land (RCOCCL) marketization reform in some pilot areas was a new attempt by the Chinese Central Government in 2015. In this areas, a novel interest distribution system was established with the land right adjustment and the corresponding local governments were likely to benefit through taxation and land appreciation adjustment fund. This study proposed the hypothesis that the RCOCCL marketization reform would improve local government revenue, and explored the actual effect based on panel census data of county-level administrative units from 2010 to 2018. We applied the difference-in-difference (DID) method to analyze the causal effect of this reform on fiscal revenue with 29 pilot areas selected as the treatment group and 1602 county-level units as the control group. The empirical results of the optimized DID robustness test models and the Heckman two-step method showed that the RCOCCL marketization reform does not have a significant impact because of lower land circulation efficiency, the transfer of land transaction costs, and the policy implementation deviations. Thus, weakening the administrative intervention of local governments in the RCOCCL marketization is essential to the land market development in China.

Abstract 13706: Differences in the Distribution of Systolic Blood Pressure by Rural and Urban Residence

Introduction: The incidence of stroke is higher in rural areas. Hypertension is the leading risk factor for stroke, but the difference in systolic blood pressure (SBP) for those living in rural and urban areas is unknown. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that rural residence is associated with higher SBP levels, and this difference is modified by race, sex, and United States (US) division. Methods: We analyzed 26,113 participants enrolled in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, recruited between 2003 and 2007. Participants were grouped based on the Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) scheme into urban, large-rural, and small-isolated rural groups. Resting SBP was measured during the initial home visit. Differences in percentiles of SBP distribution were compared using multivariate models with adjustment for age, race, sex, and US Census Bureau division. Results: Of the participants, 20,976 (80.3%) were classified as urban, 3,020 (11.6%) as large-rural, and 2,137 (8.2%) as small-isolated rural, reflecting the distribution of the population. The large-rural group had a 0.09 mmHg higher mean SBP compared to the urban group (95% CI, 0.33 to 1.52 mmHg, p = 0.0023), but the difference in SBP at the 95th percentile between these groups was 3.23 mmHg (95% CI, 1.43 to 4.73 mmHg, p = 0.0006). A similar difference was present between the small-isolated rural and urban groups at the highest percentiles. No urban-rural interaction was observed by race, sex, or US division. However, large SBP differences were present between US divisions, especially at the highest percentiles. To illustrate, SBP at the 95th percentile was 9.51 mmHg higher in the East North Central division than in the Pacific (95% CI, 6.41 to 12.61 mmHg, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Residence in a rural area is associated with higher SBP, with larger differences at the highest percentiles of distribution. SBP differences are present between US divisions, independent of urban-rural status.

Perceived Effects of Rural-Urban Interactions on Sustainable Agricultural Development in Nigeria

The fact that a correlation exists between agricultural production and poverty alleviation efforts in Sub-Saharan African countries is not an understatement. This is based on the fact that majority of people in the developing countries of Africa including Nigeria live in the rural areas and primarily engage in agriculture as their source of livelihood. However, most rural areas in Nigeria still battle with food insecurity, malnutrition and poor economy. This study therefore explores the perceived effects of rural-urban interactions on sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of all the rural dwellers in the study area from which 300 respondents were selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument of data collection was a well-structured, validated and reliable interview schedule. Five research objectives and two hypotheses were developed and tested in the study. Findings from the study revealed that the community-based agricultural projects provided based on rural-urban interactions were provision of improved varieties of seeds to farmers, provision of improved breeds of animals, provision of farm tools and provision of loans to farmers for buying farm inputs ( = 0.367, 0.273, 0.256 and 0.236) respectively. Also, the motivational factors for rural-urban interactions had significant effect on the respondents' participation in the community-based agricultural projects . It was therefore concluded that rural-urban interactions should be factored into community development activities to promote sustainable agricultural development.

Rural-urban Interaction Inclusion in Ongoing Latvia Regional Reform

The ongoing process of regional reform in Latvia involves the vision of both rural and urban territories. The nexus between the city and the countryside and inclusion of it into realistic policy is deemed a good approach for solving failures of the European cohesion policy. To study cohesion between rural and urban areas, there is a need to identify the meaning of two concepts – the city and the countryside. The field rural and urban territories interact is the regional spatial level. And to manage regional development the normative framework is important. Aim of the research is to find does the new regional reform in Latvia is in close cohesion with the New Urban Agenda, especially linkages of rural and urban. Development politics included in research tend to include a question regarding rural-urban interaction, but only in some points. Documents of the United Nations included in research provide a very clear definition of the actions to be taken to ensure cohesion between urban and rural territories. The next step would be to assess and understand how to achieve. The issues of creation and opportunities of cohesion have been discussed in Latvia. It is not clear does the ongoing regional reform in Latvia will achieve declared goals regarding rural-urban interaction after ongoing discussions with the local municipalities.

Funkcionalne veze između ruralnih i urbanih područja na teritoriji grada Banja Luke i perspektiva njihovog razvoja

Different types of interactions between rural and urban areas have the effect of improving economic, social, cultural and political dimensions in both areas, separating these two areas by their type of activity. Rural and urban types of regions have different resources and means that can be used in a complementary way. In rural-urban interaction there is a possibility of occurrence of conflict of interest of these two areas. This kind of conflict should be overcome when applying the partnership approach between rural and urban areas. The types of rural areas, depending on the proximity of the urban center and the functions of these areas, are divided into suburban, agricultural and remote type areas. By determining the functions of each type of area, the type and intensity of the interactions of rural areas with the urban center are presented. Rural entrepreneurs are able to bridge rural-urban differences, possessing certain market knowledge and descriptions of the characteristics of urban environments, while benefiting from their position. Rural entrepreneurs' interaction with the urban environment can contribute to sustainable economic relations between citizens in urban and rural areas. This paper presents the results of research related to determining the functions of certain areas, their strengths, unused and utilized resources, the frequency of interaction with the urban environment and the perspectives of suburban, agricultural and remote type areas in the context of interaction with the urban environment.

Regional Solutions for Rural and Urban Challenges

The complex and dynamic nature of rural–urban interactions raises questions about the capacity of existing governance structures to address pressing regional challenges. Regional collaboration is o...

Telecoupled Sustainable Livelihoods in an Era of Rural–Urban Dynamics: The Case of China

Recently, increasingly sophisticated studies have investigated the relationship between agrarian livelihoods and the environment, as well as rural–urban interactions in developing countries. The policies developed to respond to these dynamics can constrain livelihood options or provide additional opportunities. In the present study, using a modified version of the telecoupled sustainable livelihood framework to generalize dynamic livelihood strategies in the context of rural–urban transformation and by focusing on recent research in China, we review important factors that shape rural livelihood strategies as well as the types of strategies that typically intersect with livelihood and environmental dynamics. We then examine telecoupled rural–urban linkages given that the dynamics of the livelihood strategies of farmers can cause flows of labor, capital, ecosystem services, and other processes between rural and urban areas, thereby placing livelihood strategies in a dynamic context, which has not been considered widely in previous research. We show that most previous studies focused on the reduction of environmental impacts via livelihood diversification and rural–urban migration. We propose several areas for future policy development and research.

アジア都市農村フィールド研究をふり返る

アジア都市農村フィールド研究をふり返る