Urban-rural Interactions Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of “Urban-Suburban-Rural” Interaction in Shanghai Metropolis: A Perspective on Commuting Mobility

As urbanization progresses, the flow of population, capital, and other resources between urban and rural areas accelerates, leading to evolving urban-rural interactions. This study examines the spatiotemporal characteristics of the “urban-suburban-rural” interactions in the Shanghai metropolis from 2017 to 2020, focusing on commuting flows. The results indicate that interactions among urban, suburban, and rural areas in Shanghai metropolis have generally strengthened, characterized by increasingly distinct commuting structures and more pronounced strong connections. Urban commuting patterns predominantly rely on intra-urban flows, while suburban and rural areas demonstrate varying degrees of employment dependence on urban areas. Notably, rural areas exhibit stronger dependence on suburban areas than on urban centers. Despite these interactions, significant differences persist in the commuting structures among the three areas. The development of employment centers, such as the central city, urban peripheries, new towns, and industrial parks, has enhanced connections within urban areas, as well as between urban and suburban areas and between urban and rural areas. However, the commuting structures within rural areas and between rural and suburban areas have shown little change, reflecting lagging functional development in these areas. Shanghai metropolis should focus on unlocking the potential of suburban and rural areas by advancing functional development and establishing employment centers.

Cross-class alliances and urban middle classes with peasant characteristics: a historical-spatial approach to agency in territory-based rural mobilisations in Turkey

ABSTRACT This article explores the complexities of agency in contemporary territory-based mobilisations in the countryside by focusing on water struggles in Turkey. Using a historical-spatial approach, it combines agrarian political economy analysis with human-nature interactions. Through an analysis of cash crop production and urban-rural interactions, this contribution argues that capitalist agrarian transformation in Turkey led to the emergence of an ‘urban middle class with peasant characteristics’, with a strong capacity for mobilisation and alliance-building. It also argues that this group enabled abstraction, place-framing and aestheticised resistance, common elements we observe in contemporary territorial mobilisations.

Analysis of Landscape Character Assessment and Cultural Ecosystem Services Evaluation Frameworks for Peri-Urban Landscape Planning: A Case Study of Harku Municipality, Estonia

This study combined landscape character assessment (LCA) and cultural ecosystem services (CES) frameworks to evaluate human well-being in the peri-urban area of Harku Municipality, Estonia. Using geospatial data combined with expert opinions, the study investigated the interplay between landscape character types and environmental/contact types through the LCA method. In total, 21 distinct landscape types comprising 47 separate areas were identified, with CES values determined for each. Restorative, social, and cognitive values were associated with each landscape character type. The findings demonstrated the higher restorative potential of blue and green elements (water bodies, forests) with low settlement density and minimal agriculture. High-density settlements with good road access demonstrated significant social values, while mixed forests and wetlands tended to be associated with higher cognitive values. Coastal zones with semi-dense settlements and mixed forests earned favourable ratings, whereas industrial/agricultural landscapes were rated lowest for all values. These findings offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of urban–rural interactions, resilience, and the impact of urbanisation on CES. They may inform future landscape management strategies, urban planning decisions, and policy considerations. Additionally, this study highlights the need for further research to explore the long-term trends and potential changes in CES in evolving peri-urban environments.

Scale development for measuring displacement in rural tourism gentrification: a resident perception perspective

ABSTRACT Displacement plays a central role in the gentrification process, but reliable instruments to measure the extent of gentrification-induced displacement from the perspective of resident perception have been scarce. Against the broader backdrops of frequent urban-rural interactions, securing community residents’ endorsement emerges as a pivotal avenue for advancing local development projects, exemplified by rural tourism development. Thus, this study used 35 interviews from three typical villages and 706 questionnaires from two regional scales to construct a 5-point Likert scale measuring displacement in rural tourism gentrification. The results revealed two dimensions, direct and indirect displacement, that had slight positive and strong negative effects, respectively, on community residents’ attitudes toward further tourism development. This study provides a window into the complex attitudes of residents and a practical instrument for assessing the risks associated with displacement in local development projects characterized by increased mobility, including rural tourism.

The Impact of Rural Location on Farmers’ Livelihood in the Loess Plateau: Local, Urban–Rural, and Interconnected Multi-Spatial Perspective Research

With the strengthening of regional and urban–rural interactions, farmers’ livelihood activities are becoming increasingly complex, and environmental factors that influence farmers’ livelihoods have multi-spatial effects. Consequently, comprehending farmers’ livelihoods from a multi-spatial perspective is imperative. Based on surveys conducted in 65 villages and 451 households in Jia County on the Loess Plateau, China, rural locations were deconstructed into natural, traffic, and positional advantages to explore the relationships and mechanisms between the rural environment and farmers’ livelihood stability from local, urban–rural, and interconnected multi-spatial perspectives. We found that 77% of the villages achieved a moderate or high Rural Location Advantage Index (RLAI) rating; 45% still lack natural advantages and are mainly located in hilly and sandy areas because of the fragile ecological environment of the Loess Plateau. Additionally, the Livelihood Stability Index (LSI) was moderate overall, but with significant spatial heterogeneity, and 72% of farmers possess strong transition capacity and have shifted away from relying on monoculture as their primary livelihood strategy. While a certain coupling correspondence exists between the LSI and RLAI, the interaction is intricate rather than a simple linear agglomeration process. The spatial variation in the LSI results from the superposition or interaction of multi-spatial location factors. The rural–urban spatial location factors are the key control element of the LSI and the interaction between rural–urban and local spatial location factors has the greatest influence on the LSI. It is simple for interconnected spatial location factors to produce a scale correlation effect, and have non-negligible effects on farmers’ livelihoods when they interact with other spatial location factors. Understanding the impact of rural location on farmers’ livelihood from a multi-spatial perspective is of great practical significance for identifying the causes of spatial heterogeneity in livelihoods and enhancing multi-level policy coordination on rural revitalization and livelihood security.

The Role of Urban–Rural Connections in Building Food System Resilience

This paper investigates food system resilience—conceptualized through the four dimensions of agency, buffering, connectivity, and diversification—from the perspective of rural–urban relations. We consider three cases that capture distinct actor and policy foci in the wider literature on urban–rural interactions. These are secondary cities and their development potential as central nodes in urban–rural food systems, the role of digital infrastructure in shaping food systems resilience, and finally, street food vendors as a particularly vulnerable yet crucial group of actors linking rural food supply with urban demand. We review existing literature within these themes, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food systems in middle- and low-income countries. This allows us to examine the relationship between rural–urban connectivity and food system resilience and to identify possible trade-offs. We formulate recommendations for research and policy around the notions of new localities (i.e., considering the interconnectedness of rural and urban food systems across administrative boundaries), smart development (i.e., context-specific approaches building on local strengths), and network governance (i.e., inclusive decision making engaging with diverse stakeholders across multiple scales).

Reconceptualising the rural through planetary thinking: A field experiment of sustainable approaches to rural revitalisation in China

Drawing on a critical reflection on the long-lasting debates of rural-urban dichotomy, we argue for a reconceptualisation of the rural that emphasises the ever-evolving and multifaceted nature of rurality to explore alternative pathways of rural revitalisation through non-urban-centric planetary thinking. Instead of viewing the rural and the urban as two contrasting and competing categories, we advocate for planetary thinking that looks beyond spatial boundaries and volumetric changes to focus on the co-evolving multiple trajectories of human-nature interaction, with a particular emphasis on rural transformation. Our propositions are three-fold. First, as an integral and indispensable component of the planetary system, the sustainable and equitable development of the rural is of planetary significance. The harmonious human-nature relations embodied in rural practices hold the key to tackling anthropogenic challenges. Second, rurality is constantly rejuvenated and enriched by new economic and sociocultural practices and technological innovations along with its urban counterpart, during which ruralisation and urbanisation are intersecting and co-evolving at the planetary scale. Third, rural communities are important nodes of the planetary networks of resources, people, information, and knowledge connected through multi-directional flows in which the agency of rural communities is increasingly being recognised and strengthened. We then present a field experiment of green development in Shishou, central China to exemplify how this reconceptualisation helps to foster virtuous urban-rural interactions in response to national and global changes to unleash the potentials of the countryside through sustainable revitalisation approaches. While the green development experiment in Shishou is far from ideal, the project demonstrates major breakthroughs concerning rural-urban relations and the multifaceted rurality. These new approaches to rural revitalisation hold the hope for nurturing endogenous growth through empowering local communities and catering to indigenous needs while addressing planetary challenges, which can eventually be scaled up to wider regions and further afield.

Identification of Mobility Patterns in Rural Areas of Low Demographic Density through Stated Preference Surveys

Within the multiple urban–rural interactions that make up the territorial dynamics, this article addresses and identifies how mobility relations are produced between neighbouring municipalities that share services. The aim of this research is to carry out a diagnosis of the current mobility situation in an area of low population density in order to identify the needs and possible shortcomings in this area. The initial identification of weaknesses is essential in order to propose solutions for rural mobility. The methodology adopted is based on two distinct lines of work: (1) analysis of information in open data from public repositories using geographic information system tools (GIS), and (2) surveys of citizens living in the study area. The results allude to the fact that the most transcendental problem in the study area is the lack of a quality collective public transport service that meets minimum utility requirements for users, a fact that generates a transfer towards the use of private vehicles. No serious parking, noise, pollution or road safety problems are observed; however, similar dynamics to other rural areas with low demographic density are confirmed, such as the age of the mobile fleet and an aging population with accessibility problems. The presence of new modes of transport (electric bicycles, personal mobility vehicles, and even electric vehicles) is practically insignificant. Both teleworking and the new consumer habits associated with online shopping have not yet had a strong impact. Political decision making by public administrations is identified as a direct application of this research.

ARCHITECTURE AS SOCIAL LABORATORY: Modernity, Cultural Revival, and Architectural Experiment in Peri‐urban China

AbstractThis article engages with the emerging scholarship on experiments in urban and regional contexts to investigate an architectural experiment overseen by Wang Shu, a renowned Chinese architect, in Wencun Village, a peri‐urban village on the fringe of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. In particular, we examine how architectural projects are mobilized to provide a solution to rural decline amidst deepening urban–rural integration. Architecture is supposed to generate knowledge about the relationships between built forms and positive social and cultural changes, in this case involving the revival of rural cultures and identities. Empirically, this article provides a novel study that investigates culture‐based interventions into the revival of peri‐urban regions in the context of intensifying urban–rural interactions. Theoretically, it contributes to the study of experiments in urban and regional contexts by, on the one hand, correcting the urban bias inherent in this corpus and arguing for the relevance of experiment to peri‐urban and rural contexts. On the other hand, while this study reaffirms the importance of using relatively bounded sites of study and controlled parameters to produce plausible knowledge about regional transformation, it equally calls for attention to the contingencies and surprises that exceed and destabilize preconceived theories, epistemological frameworks and hypotheses.

Global mapping of urban–rural catchment areas reveals unequal access to services

Using travel time to cities of different sizes, we map populations across an urban-rural continuum to improve on the standard dichotomous representations of urban-rural interactions. We extend existing approaches by 1) building on central place theory to capture the urban hierarchy in access to services and employment opportunities provided by urban centers of different sizes, 2) defining urban-rural catchment areas (URCAs) expressing the interconnection between urban centers and their surrounding rural areas, and 3) adopting a global gridded approach comparable across countries. We find that one-fourth of the global population lives in periurban areas of intermediate and smaller cities and towns, which challenges the centrality of large cities in development. In low-income countries, 64% of the population lives either in small cities and towns or within their catchment areas, which has major implications for access to services and employment opportunities. Intermediate and small cities appear to provide catchment areas for proportionately more people gravitating around them than larger cities. This could indicate that, for countries transitioning to middle income, policies and investments strengthening economic linkages between urban centers and their surrounding rural areas may be as important as investing in urbanization or the rural hinterlands. The dataset provided can support national economic planning and territorial development strategies by enabling policy makers to focus more in depth on urban-rural interactions.

Towards the progress of ecological restoration and economic development in China's Loess Plateau and strategy for more sustainable development

China's Loess Plateau (LP) is one of the most typical regions with serious soil erosion. Its ecological restoration, economic development, and social progress are directly related to realizing China's national sustainable development goals (SDGs). With intensive field investigations, comprehensive analyses of statistical data, remote sensing data, and local monitoring data, this current research explored the achievements in local ecological restoration and economic development, discussed the main problems faced by the LP, and assessed the sustainable development status of the LP. Moreover, drawing from a 3C system approach (classification–coordination–collaboration), this research proposed the sustainable development strategies for more sustainable LP. We found that the LP's ecological restoration and economic development made remarkable achievements since 2000. However, the environment was still fragile and regional development was still lagging behind. In realizing SDGs, further improvements on clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, and climate action are needed. Coordinated and collaborated efforts are expected from multiple hierarchical levels including household, watershed, region, and nation in developing LP. Specifically, human-environment interactions should be highlighted at the household level, upstream-downstream interactions that are catering to the particular characteristics of the LP is encouraged at the watershed level, and regional and urban-rural interactions shall play an increasingly important role at the regional level. While at the national level, the central government should carry out a systematic overarching design. To better realize the goal of more sustainable LP, this research calls for (1) forming an actor-network consists of multi stakeholders, including the central government, local government, watershed, families, ecosystem and environment, enterprises, NGOs, and scientists, and (2) paying attention to ecosystem management, ecological restoration, industrial structure optimization, ecological agriculture, rural infrastructure, and ecological civilization construction in the future development.

The spatial organization pattern of urban-rural integration in urban agglomerations in China: An agglomeration-diffusion analysis of the population and firms

Rapid urbanization in China has induced profound changes in the relationship between urban and rural areas, especially in urban agglomerations. This paper contributes a better understanding of the mechanisms of urban-rural interactions in urban agglomerations by considering the perspective of the spatial organization of urban-rural integration (SOURI). Using the Chang-Zhu-Tan Urban Agglomeration in Central China as an example, this study used a spatial autocorrelation analysis to quantify the agglomeration and diffusion patterns of the population and firms as proxies to reveal the spatial organization pattern of urban-rural integration (SOPURI). The results showed that 1) the spatial proximity and centralization trends of SOURI were obvious in 2005–2015 in this region; 2) the urban districts of prefecture-level cities, especially Changsha, played an important role as the main centres; 3) due to diffusion effects from the central urban districts, a few county-level cities and county towns began to appear as sub-centres; and 4) the function of towns needed enhancement. Furthermore, a model of an urban-rural multi-level polycentric network was proposed to guide the optimization of SOURI in urban agglomerations with an emphasis on the three-level centres of city-town-village and networking linkages. Following the model, optimization policies for the Chang-Zhu-Tan Urban Agglomeration are discussed.

Urban-Rural Interactions and Role of Planned Small Townships in North Central Province, Sri Lanka: An Empirical Investigation of Urban Functions for Rural Development Approach

Whether a settlement may urban or rural it performs different roles as commercial, administrative centre for surrounding regions. Settlements act as central places representing a particular tier of the settlement hierarchy. The roles of planned small townships on regional development and the interactions between those settlements and the periphery have been studied by many geographers in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These centers are at the lower order of urban hierarchy, and they have been planned purposefully in many countries based on Urban Functions for Rural Development Approach (UFRD) to accelerate the development of backward areas. Since these centers trickle down innovation & modernization to rural neighborhoods the roles of these centers are diverse. In order to achieve fruitful results of settlement planning most effective and rational spatial and location planning strategy is essential to promote these small centers within well-articulated, integrated and balanced urban hierarchy. Based on this perspective main objective of the study was evaluating the multiple roles of planned small townships in North Central Province (NCP) for the development of their neighborhoods. Thus, Thambuttegama was selected as the study area. Demarcating the sphere of influence of selected functions and assess the existing functional structure of the township were among other specific objectives. The primary data on commercial and non-governmental functions of the township was collected through a structured questionnaire, field survey and through informal interviews. Secondary data and other related information were gathered from official statistics, other published materials, unpublished reports and internal records. Variations of the linkages and urban functions in spatial and temporal dimensions have been shown as maps, spider graphs using GIS based tools such as overlay, buffering through the study.

Reconstructing Socio-Political Urban-Rural Interactions Using Viewshed Analysis: The Late Bronze Age at Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.

AbstractThe archaeological research conducted during the last two decades at the Judean Shephelah testifies for one of the most turbulent regions in the land of Israel during the Late Bronze Age. This stands in contrast to the scarce historical record that relates to it. The geographic region of Ramat Bet Shemesh encompasses important information about socio-political relations between the small rural settlements and hamlets and the city-states that dominated the area from the west. Advanced GIS modelling is one of the main research tools that enables us to reconstruct various aspects of these interactions. In this paper, the results of viewshed analyses are presented, suggesting that these interactions are defined, among other things, by a solidarity between small rural occupations that resist territorial rigid inner division of the landscape.

Town dwellers in their networks: urban-rural mobility and household strategies in Cameroon

Urban-rural interactions are important features of spatial dynamics in Africa that have been affected by recent economic, social and cultural transformations. The attention of academics and policy-makers has concentrated on the impact of such mobility on rural actors and economies. Our objective is to consider the point of view of urban households and to analyse how they manage to develop and use their “rural connections”. The paper is based on in-depth qualitative fieldwork conducted in Cameroon, in Douala and Bafoussam. It presents an analysis of the configurations of urban resident mobility to rural regions. By mapping mobility we show the role of linkages with rural areas in urban household strategies. We also illustrate how a major city and a fast-growing secondary one differ in their connections with rural areas. The paper addresses what is one of the recurrent questions in the literature: will urban-rural linkages change in the long-term as the trend towards urbanization intensifies. Urban-rural mobility remains crucial, contributes to creating complex and dynamic networks. Collective connections are reaffirming the importance of the village and the region of origin. Mobility is a key element for many urban households in developing their urban position and strategies.

Urban-Rural Synergies: An Explorative Study at the NUTS3 Level

Regions are continually developing. Innovations in agricultural and industrial production affect urban and rural areas in different ways, and climate change and developments in transport and (tele)communication have strong effects on the interaction between them. Although urban and rural areas are often studied separately, systemic effects are clearly important when studying their interactions. This article aims to get a better understanding of the importance of urban-rural interaction between European regions. Therefore, a regional analysis using factor analysis and spatial correlation is used to show the presence and direction of urban-rural interactions. The results indicate that rural areas benefit from having more urban neighbors in terms of employment and employment growth as well as a stronger tourism sector. At the same time, urban areas with more rural neighbors experience a higher level of (relative) GDP growth. In addition, they are also related to higher levels of employment and population growth. Overall, the analysis shows that having more ‘opposite’ neighbors appears to be beneficial to both urban and rural regions. More research with more specific indicators, for example related to quality of life, as well as a more complete dataset, is necessary to confirm these conclusions.

Differentiation regularity of urban-rural equalized development at prefecture-level city in China

The urban-rural equalized development (URED) as a definite measure and operating model is beneficial to gradually eliminating the dual-track structure of urban-rural development, bridging the gap of urban-rural development, and creating harmonious urban-rural interactions. This paper aims to explore the status quo of URED in China at prefecture level, and to reveal the spatio-temporal patterns of URED and its differentiation regularity. The results show that: (1) China’s URED level can be categorized into two parts, i.e., the eastern and the western, according to the “HU Huanyong Line”, presenting a pattern of “east high and west low” and the URED level improves on the whole with the increase of distance from the line; (2) China’s URED level can also be categorized into the northern and the southern parts according to “Kunlun-Qinling-Huaihe Line”, presenting a pattern of “north high and south low”, and the URED level reduces on the whole with the increase of distance from the line; (3) At the national level, China’s URED has a significant trend of spatial agglomeration, the high and low URED regions tend to be adjacent, namely, the URED level presents obvious regional unbalance; (4) The five sub-dimension indicators of the URED level in the geographical space also reveal similar regional differentiation pattern, and in the aspect of space a decreasing trend is found in the URED level from the eastern (northern coast, eastern coast and southern coast), the northeastern, the central (the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River) to the western (northwest and southwest); and (5) China’s URED at prefecture-level city can be divided into five types of differentiation areas. This study contributes to promoting the integrative cognition of the status quo of China’s URED and can serve as a scientific reference concerning the decision-making of coordinating urban-rural development and of pushing forward new-type urbanization strategy in China.

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.

Social organization and change in the Indus Civilization; phytolith analysis of crop processing aims at Masudpur VII

The Indus Civilization (3rd to 2nd millennium BC) has been understood primarily through the study of its cities. However, the majority of the population lived in rural villages whose material remains have not been the focus of archaeological research. There has been no consensus on the nature of the social organization of the Indus Civilization, and the focus on urban sites and elite artefacts has meant that there has been little investigation into urban–rural interactions or the impact of urbanization on rural hinterlands. Food production, particularly that of staple crops, is one of the key links between a city and the villages that surround it. This paper uses phytolith analysis, a method of identifying plants and their constituent components using microscopic plant silica, to explore if the development of the cities affected the daily practice of crop processing and exchange in the Indus Civilization. This helps to ascertain whether city-centralized models of social organization can be applied to all aspects of rural–urban interactions. Using samples from Early and Mature Harappan periods at the village site of Masudpur VII in Haryana, India, the aims of crop processing, the crop assemblage and the local environmental conditions have been explored. This study concludes that contrary to the assumed city-focused models, the aims of the processing, composition of the crop assemblage and the local environmental conditions at Masudpur VII were not altered by the development of the city of Rakhigarhi in close proximity to it. This paper demonstrates that an understanding of ancient civilizations cannot be accurately drawn from the study of only their most conspicuous sites, especially when most of the people lived in the rural hinterlands.

Promoting urban cohesion through town planning: the case of Caia, Mozambique

Small towns in sub-Saharan Africa are being involved in significant changes, related both to the role they play in urban–rural interactions and to the impact of interventions aimed at exploiting natural resources. The literature has focused, especially over the last 20 years, on the importance of these small towns in rural development, but ignoring the impact that such changes can have on their precarious equilibrium. Moreover, almost no investigation has been done on the actions carried out by local administrations to face change.This article looks at Caia, a town in rural Mozambique, in an attempt to raise awareness of this matter. First, we emphasise the hybridisation between urban and rural characters, which Caia has in common with many small centres in sub-Saharan Africa. Second, we describe the change that is taking place in the district of Caia, drawing attention to the negative impact it can have on small towns, mainly the creation of a dualism earlier absent. Finally, we show how this impact can ...