Rural-urban Linkages Research Articles

So Close, Yet So Far: The Benefits and Limits of Rural–Urban Industry Linkages

Rural–urban linkages have long been recognized as a potential rural economic development strategy. This article tests the potential effects of rural–urban linkages created through rural food manufacturing, tourism, and data processing centers on rural per capita income, employment, and population between 2009 and 2016. Using unique spatial interaction variables, we empirically estimate the Carlino–Mills conditional growth model for all rural counties in the contiguous US. Robustness checks reveal the limits of this economic development strategy by testing the model specification across different definitions of urban and rural places and varying spatial lags. Results suggest that both agritourism and data processing centers increase per capita incomes and employment through rural–urban linkages across distances, urbanicity, and rurality. The potential of beneficial rural–urban linkages associated with food manufacturing appears to be more situational, while creative class and outdoor recreation had small negative or insignificant rural-urban linkage effects on the three economic outcomes.

Dichotomy to Continuum: Importance of Faecal Sludge Management in Shaping Future Urban–Rural Linkages in Urbanizing India

Meeting the sanitation needs of a growing and urbanizing population in India led the incumbent national government to launch a large-scale sanitation programme, the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. Having reduced the deficit in basic rural sanitation in its first phase, the programme is targeting to achieve universal safely managed sanitation in its second phase launched in February 2020. Since the trajectory to achieving safely managed sanitation is inherently path-dependent, the present article utilizes novel survey data from rural India to understand the nature of sanitation systems in transitioning spaces and identify the investments they require to provide safely managed sanitation. It finds that the de facto preference in sanitation systems that households manifest is in direct contrast to the governmental choice of the low-cost twin pit system. The choice of the on-site sanitation system is informed by the household’s economic status and how ‘characteristically’ urban the settlements they reside in are. The article further discusses the implications of these findings for the short-term responsiveness and long-term effectiveness of the massive sanitation investments (USD 19 billion) planned for the next five years in India.

SYSTEMS CONNECTIVITY FOR SOUND URBAN POLICY CREATION AND ENHANCEMENT: EXPLORING RURAL-URBAN INTERDEPENDENCIES AND LINKAGES FOR INCLUSIVE CITIES

This article is based on a study that investigated and examined the relevance of rural-urban linkages towards sustainable and inclusive development for both cities and rural areas. It argues that rural-urban linkages have great potential in facilitating sustainable development when harnessed and supported. The old definitive notion of rural and urban areas separated the two as distinct and independent regions. This led to biased policy initiatives towards urban development without consideration of the interdependencies between the two regions. The article is based on a desktop study involving the interrogation of literature and documents extracted from Google scholar, Ebsco and websites with news and policies and related material for data analysis. Emerging from the study are three main observations, that rural-urban linkages have huge potential that can help improve development; if not managed well, they can be manipulative and beneficial to one side and active participation in decision-making and implementation paves way for a sustainable future. It concludes that an in-depth understanding of these linkages can help harness the potential benefits that emanate from the rural-urban relationship. Policy recommendations are given that encourage inclusive city development rather than the separationist approach that dissects the existing rural-urban linkages.

CAN INCLUSIVE CITIES PREVENT THE NEXT PANDEMIC?: (RE) EMERGING DISEASES IN THE CONTEXT OF RURAL-URBAN LINKAGES

History has obviously shown the mutual relationship between cities and disease outbreaks; how one reshapes or redefines the other and vice versa. The pandemic has amplified a multitude of existing and persistent developmental challenges humanity has been contending with at different scales and magnitude in different parts of the world. Putting to context the disease burden across space (as in the recent pandemic), this study suggests that cities do not exist in isolation; they mutually interact with rural areas for sustenance and livelihoods. This reciprocal relationship is not just critical to the growth and survival of cities but also to disease transmission as it will discussed shortly. Therefore, the paper attempts to address the question of how do pandemics create inclusive cities and how do inclusive cities in turn make or break pandemics? In answering this, the argument of how rural–urban linkages will increase the risk of emerging diseases and can make inclusive cities a far dream was forwarded

Urban poverty and vulnerability in global South: An alternative multidimensional framework for measurement and targeting

AbstractThe dynamics of urban poverty and vulnerability may play out differently in the Global South, which has been witnessing large scale urbanization not strictly driven by economic forces. Conventional approaches to poverty measurement camouflage the extent and complexity of this problem. This paper offers an alternative approach to the measurement and targeting of urban poverty in the Global South. Taking inspiration from the normative debate and empirical realities, it emphasizes the need for considering poverty and vulnerability interconnections, rural–urban linkages and other urban specific issues which characterize urban poverty as a different category of analysis. Using recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from India, this study includes newer dimensions and indicators, representing the lack of social security, poverty trap and social‐spatial fragmentation for developing illustrative multidimensional indices. The results reveal a higher incidence of poverty than existing estimates.

TOPOI – A method for analysing settlement units and their linkages in an urban–rural fabric

Many years, urbanisation research has largely focused the development of urban agglomerations and megacity regions, whereas less attention was paid on the development of medium-sized cities, small towns, villages, or rural areas. Yet many interrelations and spatial linkages between urban and rural areas exist. In this paper, we present a novel method called ‘TOPOI’ for the integrated analysis and description of settlement units in an urban–rural setting. The TOPOI-method enhances the understanding of the built environment by clustering and describing settlement units of similar characteristics with view to their physical form, function, and connectivity. The method is built on known planning parameters, but does not limit the analysis of settlement units to their administrative boundaries. Based on 11 indicators, 13 TOPOI-classes were identified in two exemplary study regions revealing new insights into urban–rural settlement types. This allows a better understanding of urban–rural linkages and therefore opens up new pathways for a more sustainable development.

Secondary towns in urban-rural linkages in East Africa. The role of SMEs and their capacity to adapt (Central Kenya)

In the densely populated regions of East Africa, small and medium-sized towns are said to play an important role in the rapidly changing urban-rural interface. They are home to many dynamic SMEs, which are active in trade and services. Yet their integration into relational systems is asymmetric: while they are central in inflows (supplying rural zones), in outflows (collecting and distributing agricultural produce) they encounter fierce competition from rural and urban stakeholders (farmers’ cooperatives, large companies, and middlemen). Through these SMEs, what is at stake is the role of secondary towns in current systems of economic and spatial integration.

Urban-Rural Partnership Framework to Enhance Food-Energy-Water Security in the Post-COVID-19 Era.

Food, energy, and water (collectively referred to as ‘FEW’) security forms the key to human survival as well as socioeconomic development. However, the security of these basic resources is increasingly threatened due to growing demand. Beyond the widespread implications on public health, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has further raised additional challenges for FEW security, particularly for urban populations, as they mainly outsource their FEW demands from rural areas outside their physical boundaries. In light of that, this study reviews existing literature on FEW security to highlight the growing relevance of urban–rural linkages for realizing FEW security, especially against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, relevant research documents have been identified through Elsevier’s Scopus database and other sources (by applying search equations). The authors have accordingly underlined the necessity of shifting the conventional urban-centric approach to city region-centric development planning for the post-COVID-19 era. To this end, a framework has been suggested for translating physical urban–rural linkages to a partnership enhancing a collective response. The major elements of this framework are the conceptualization of national-level policies to support urban–rural linkages. The framework can play the role of a science–policy–action interface to redesign the FEW system in city regions.

Association between Rural Land Use Transition and Urban–Rural Integration Development: From 2009 to 2018 Based on County-Level Data in Shandong Province, China

Integrated development in urban and rural areas has led to a new form of urban–rural interdependence, which promotes rural territorial functional evolution and land use changes. Rural land use transition, showing the synchronous development between cities and villages, is an important window through which to observe integrated development in urban and rural areas. We focus on uncovering the association between rural land use transition and urban–rural integration development (URID), put forward a dynamic relationship assumption between rural land use transformation and URID stages based on the transmission mechanism of urban–rural linkages, and undertake empirical analysis using the panel regression model with the data of county-level administrative units in Shandong Province, China. The results show that rural land use transition has maintained a close association with URID, and that the changes in cultivated land, forest land, and surface-water area are highly related to URID. There are different leading urban–rural linkages in rural areas around big-sized cities, mid-sized cities, and small-sized cities, which determine whether rural areas are in different URID stages of high, medium, or low levels. Further, rural areas can take different actions to promote URID at different stages through strengthening or introducing urban–rural linkages driven by economies of scale and deepening urbanization. This provides a reference for developing countries to formulate rural land use policies on achieving the goal of URID.

Rural service hubs and socially innovative rural-urban linkages: A conceptual framework for nexogenous development

Co-locating services has become a common solution to the many longstanding challenges of service access and provision in rural areas. Rural service hubs – which offer two or more services at the same outlet – take many forms, typically responding to triggers for social innovation. Despite their growing ubiquity, however, rural service hubs have been little studied in comparative perspective. This article shifts the lens on service hubs from place-based solutions towards a broader, multi-scalar and multi-level perspective on rural connectivity. We propose a five dimension conceptual framework in contribution to the emerging theorisation of nexogenous rural development a model for resourceful reconnection beyond place and across rural–urban space. Drawing on examples from Austria, Finland and Wales, we illustrate how diverse service hub models mobilise social innovation, networks, scale and proximity to support service access and provision.

Mapping Urban-Rural Linkage in Promoting Sustainable Regional Development to Support Rural Creative Economy Entrepreneurs

Strong rural-urban linkages are one of the supports for sustainable regional development. With the potential of the creative economy in the rural area owned by Temanggung Regency, the creative economy sector can be a driving force for rural-urban linkages. One of the actors that can drive the strengthening of rural-urban linkages is creative economy entrepreneurs, who have the potential to eliminate the boundaries of rural-urban linkages through good capacity in accessing various advantages that exist in the city such as knowledge and market share while optimizing the advantages of rural locations. This study aims to examine the role of rural creative economy actors in Temanggung Regency in encouraging the strengthening of existing rural-urban linkages based on the flow of people/labor, production, commodities, capital and information. The research method used in this study is descriptive qualitative with the support of data obtained through interviews and FGDs of creative economy actors in Temanggung Regency. The result of this research is that rural creative economy actors in Temanggung Regency have the potential to strengthen rural-urban relations, especially in the aspects of capital, information, and commodities.

Planning Peri-Urban Open Spaces: Methods and Tools for Interpretation and Classification

Today, planning an urban–rural interface requires redefining the planner’s role and toolbox. Global challenges such as food security, climate change and population growth have become urgent issues to be addressed, especially for the implications in land use management. Urban–rural linkages, socio-economic interactions and ecological connectivity are the main issues on which the new urban agenda and sustainable development goals focus. Thus, urban and peri-urban agriculture (professional and not professional) in urban–rural interfaces has a crucial role in the maintenance and enhancement of landscape quality, urban green spaces and ecosystem services. The research presented in this article adopts a holistic approach, with a special focus on open spaces, in order to understand the complexity of peri-urban landscapes and to identify homogeneous units. It also defines map-based indices to characterize peri-urban landscape types and identify main functions to maintain and enhance. The method was applied to the peri-urban area of Turin (Italy), and maps of spatial and functional classification at the landscape unit level were generated, as well as a map of critical areas to improve. Despite some minor limitations, the method and tools proposed appear to have a range of applications in the context of global challenges and from a landscape perspective.

Rural-Urban Linkages for mutual gains Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Rural-Urban Linkages for mutual gains Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Indicators of the Tourist Attractiveness of Urban–Rural Communes and Sustainability of Peripheral Areas

The elements which determine a peripheral area’s level of tourist attractiveness, such as tourist infrastructure and tourist values, should be developed in urban–rural communes in peripheral areas, where tourism may be one of the forces capable of stimulating sustainable development. This study covered urban–rural communes of the province of Warmia and Mazury in Poland. Urban–rural communes are specific areas where urban–rural linkages are often important. The research was carried out in accordance with Hellwig’s taxonomic development pattern method. The study found no complementary relationship between tourism values and tourism infrastructure with regards to creating tourism attractiveness. Tourism attractiveness was found to be more affected by tourism infrastructure. However, in units with larger urban centers, tourist values were found to significantly contribute to tourist attractiveness. The presented results provide a good basis for further research on the impact of global trends on regional development. At the same time, the analyzed framework provides guidance for ensuring the development of local tourism, and the study’s suggested priorities and measures could lead to the development of tourism in peripheral regions, which should in turn attract new investments, create new jobs, and thus develop the economy and the welfare of the population.

Peri-urban agriculture and alternative food networks in Athens: Solidarity dynamics, spatial planning challenges and institutional reforms

The article discusses the role of alternative food networks (AFN) in local food supply, food sovereignty and the preservation of peri-urban agricultural production especially in metropolitan areas. Within a context of prolonged economic and financial crisis, a growing engagement of local public and national institutions in short food supply chains helps to revitalize the local economy, strengthen rural-urban linkages and contributes to sustainable development. The analysis focuses on how newly emerging AFNs reflect the contemporary dynamics of agriculture, food-chain and land use in rural peri-urban areas of Athens. By examining the links between the current economic, environmental, social and institutional challenges the discussion focuses on the potential of formal and informal civic practices to enhance revitalization of peri-urban agriculture and support institutional change policies through a more agro-ecological approach of the metropolitan food system. A mixed method approach was used, comprising qualitative and quantitative research as well as spatial data collection and mapping representations. The analysis shows that bottom-up claims for food security had a favorable impact on the promotion of sustainable food production, consumption and distribution systems and a transformative effect on food-related public policies and the institutional framework. Gradual legitimization of many informal alternative retail channels and self-production schemes in time of crises were able to strengthen the links between urban and peri-urban environment building agricultural ‘pockets’ of resilience to food crisis. However, poor land management and zoning control are the major constraints to sustainable agricultural production and farmers’ resilience in the Athens metropolitan area.

Evolutionary Study of Watershed Governance Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

ABSTRACT This study aims to analyze scientific literatures on watershed governance from the first published paper (1979) to the present (2020) through bibliometric analysis and visualization by utilizing a VOS-viewer software based on Scopus database. This study retrieved 353 articles from international authors focusing on watershed governance topic that are related to rural-urban linkages, and local government capacity. The articles are classified according to year of publication, author, the country of co-authors, affiliation, keywords, and journal title. Furthermore, the articles are examined based on several indicators including: Contribution of Countries/Institutions/Authors, Distribution of Journals, Highly Cited Articles, Bibliographic Coupling, and Keywords Analysis. The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are the leading countries contributing to publications on watershed governance topic from 1979 to 2020. McGill University serves as the most productive institution, followed by Ohio State University and University of British Columbia. Meanwhile, in terms of disciplines, Public Administration and Development, Environment and Urbanization, and Public Policy and Administration are the top three published journals. The combination of bibliographies and keyword concurrency networks indicates that the research topic of watershed governance is strongly associated to research topics such as rural-urban linkages and local government.

Does building the resilience of rural households reduce multidimensional poverty? Analysis of panel data in Ethiopia

Enhancing resilience capacity holds the key to welfare improvement. While there are assumptions that resilience has led to curbing poverty, in fact, the empirics are limited to ascertain the linkages between resilience and multidimensional poverty and find out implications for policy uptake in Ethiopia. This study addresses the role of household resilience capacity on multidimensional poverty reduction using the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey data collected by the Central Statistical Agency in collaboration with the World Bank Living Standard Measurement Study (2011/12 - 15/16). The study finds a steady decline in multidimensional poverty as a response to slight increases in resilience capacity. The reduction is emanated from a greater change in headcount than the intensity of deprivation. The fixed effect estimate indicated that enhancing resilience capacity is the most decisive factor responsible for multidimensional poverty reduction. Nevertheless, resilience is not the panacea. Therefore, the rural households curb multidimensional poverty by increasing crop income through commercialization and gradually diversifying non-farm income sources. Moreover, wage labor participation, literacy, saving, and having more economically active members are found to open up opportunities to sustained multidimensional poverty escapes. The dynamic random effect probit model also confirmed the existence of genuine state dependence of multidimensional poverty in rural Ethiopia. Findings suggested that the government policies aimed at enhancing resilience for multidimensional poverty should adopt productive inclusion and rural transformation. Promoting synergistic rural-urban linkages also ensures a balanced mix of infrastructure development that would improve market access and promote the rural non-farm sector, commercialization, and livelihood diversification. Support for migration, making urban development migrant-friendly, ensuring sustainable financial inclusion of the poor, and increasing access to basic services should also be part of the strategy. This implied that striving for sustainable multidimensional poverty reduction demands change in the patterns of labor mobility, livelihood transition, and urbanization.

Challenges of agri-food supply in city region food systems: an emerging economy perspective

PurposeThis paper explores the challenges of food security from source to consumption of agri-food value chain by considering urban–rural linkages in city region food systems (CRFSs) and proposes a strategic framework for CRFS identifying strategies to promote urban–rural linkages among multiple stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study approach to a fruit and vegetable value chain from rural source to consumption in the Colombo City region identifies the challenges of food security. A snowballing sampling method was used to gather information from retailers, wholesalers, commission agent, farmers and consumers. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews, observations and secondary data sources. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsChallenges in food security in the value chain related to five areas: input and production, infrastructure, public institutional support and policy, finance, and food market. Colombo city is heavily dependent on food sourced from other cities due to limited land and lack of locally situated commercially oriented farmers.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is limited to a selected number of fruits and vegetables in the Colombo city region and leaves out other food items.Originality/valueThis study contributes to informing policy and decision-making processes to promote a more balanced rural to city food value chain in Colombo City that could benefit all stakeholders from rural small-scale producers to urban consumers.

Forests to the Foreigners: Large-Scale Land Acquisitions in Gabon

For the past decade, the land rush discourse has analyzed foreign investment in land and agriculture around the world, with Africa being a continent of particular focus due to the scale of acquisitions that have taken place. Gabon, a largely forested state in Central Africa, has been neglected in the land rush conversations, despite having over half of its land allocated to forestry, agriculture, and mining concessions. This paper draws on existing evidence and contributes new empirical data through expert interviews to fill this critical knowledge gap. We situate Gabon’s historic relationship with land, establishing the intrinsic relationship between colonial land tenure systems and present-day land rights. Our findings analyze the macro context of investors and investments, as well as the impacts related to rural–urban linkages and infrastructure development into the forests, civil society, human–environment relationships, and certification programs. While challenges continue to be experienced, the promise of Gabon’s first national land use plan—the use of sustainable concessions and mandatory forestry certification—offers a unique opportunity for Gabon to transition towards a future that better benefits its population while also protecting its natural resources.

The Role of Community Cooperative Institutions in Building Rural–Urban Linkages Under Urbanization of Pastoral Regions in China

In contrast to agricultural settings, the process of urbanization in the pastoral regions of China are largely driven by long-term influences of ecological conservation and the provision of social services. Consequently, many of the herders who have migrated into nearby secondary urban centers depend on resources from pastoral regions to support their livelihoods, forming complex patterns of rural–urban linkages. While current literature has discussed the processes of herder out-migration and their implications on rural and urban livelihood development, few studies have examined the linkages between the herders living in the pastoral regions and those who have out-migrated to urban regions and their importance in rural livelihood transformation. Based on past studies, we argue that, in a changing pastoral social–ecological system, herders living in both rural and urban regions depend on each other to support their livelihoods through three types of mobility: (1) livestock mobility, (2) herder mobility, and (3) resource mobility. However, what innovative institutions in rangeland resource management and herder economic cooperation can do to help maintain these three types of mobility to sustain rural livelihood development, becomes a critical challenge. Innovative community cooperative institutions developed by pastoral communities from the Tibetan Plateau and Inner Mongolia may be able to offer new perspective and insight on how to better maintain rural–urban linkages in the processes of urbanization in pastoral regions. In this current study will present the two cases of innovative institutions and the roles they play in facilitating the three types of mobility to address livelihood challenges. While current studies recommend an increase of government subsidies, provision of vocational training, and social insurance that help herders better adapt to urban livelihood, we argue that rangeland management and community economic cooperation in innovative institutions are needed to facilitate the mobility of livestock, resources, and the herder population, and maybe only then the livelihood challenges that migrated herders are facing will be addressed effectively.