Urban-rural Relations Research Articles

Local Government Reform and the Urban-Rural Relation: A Comparison of Leicester, the United Kingdom and Weihai, China

Since the twentieth century, urban expansion has gradually become a global issue. As the first country to urbanize, Britain faced tense urban-rural relations caused by urban expansion after World War II. Similarly, in the twenty-first century, China, as the world’s largest urban entity, faces the same issue due to its rapid urbanization. Both countries have undertaken local government reforms to address this problem, achieving similar results at certain points in time. However, due to differing national contexts and political traditions, their processes and directions vary significantly. This article examines Leicester and Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, and Weihai and Wendeng in China, as cases for comparative study. It aims to analyze the similarities and differences in local government reforms and the evolution of urban-rural relations in these two countries, as well as the reasons behind the differences.

Perception of the Urban Space of the Waorani Nationality in Shell Township, Pastaza, Ecuador

The township of Shell in the Province of Pastaza, Ecuador was initially an exploration base and later, a missionary base for evangelization of the peoples and nationalities of the Amazon. It plays an important role in the Waorani nationality and its social, cultural and economic dynamics, especially in the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood, which is home to approximately 43 Waorani families whose epicenter has become a strategic space for their territorial dynamics. The research, through ethnographic methodologies and field work, has allowed to establish the perception from the Waorani nationality to the urban space. During the development of this study two sources of information were applied: methodological bibliography and thematic content reference. The study of 120 members of 43 Waorani families of the Ecuadorian Amazon and a process of direct observation, as a participant observer during the years 2019-2020-2021-2022, resulted in a conceptual model Bailey (1996), where the Waorani use preferences of displacement, economic attributes of the area, location of residence, representation of the spatial-urban structure, space-action, time of stay, activity space and objective spatial structure of the urban environment; and a transect as a very effective method to recognize population movements, sectoral differences, topographic slopes and social dynamics presented in the territory from a plan and elevation view. Human beings adapt easily to new spaces, in spite of cultural and social differences, their assimilation processes will depend on their capacity to approach and accept the environment. The Nuevo Amanecer settlement has motivated families to move to peri-urban or urban spaces in intermediary cities, which has provoked a forced adaptation and assimilation due to the same processes involved in rural-urban relations. Received: 30 May 2024 / Accepted: 21 October 2024 / Published: 05 November 2024

A Study on the Influence Mechanisms of Neighborhood Vitality and the Characteristics of Spatial and Temporal Differentiation in the Urban Fringe Areas of Wuhan City

Achieving effective integration of urban–rural relationships and promoting the flow of resources between urban and rural areas in megacities are a key priority in the development of China’s new urbanization efforts. As a transitional zone between urban and rural areas, the urban fringe is the frontier of urban–rural integration. The specific research object of this paper is the urban fringe areas of Wuhan City. This paper quantifies the neighborhood vitality of the fringe areas by the short-stay visitors in the fringe areas and selects the 5D elements of the built environment and social media data from multiple sources to construct the indicator system assessing the neighborhood vitality of the urban fringe areas. This paper analyzes the spatial distribution characteristics of neighborhood vitality and its influencing factors in urban fringe areas and investigates the connection between neighborhood vitality and its influencing factors through the application of the multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model. Based on the regression results, relevant planning recommendations are made on how to enhance the vitality of neighborhoods in urban fringe areas. The results show that the index system constructed by “5D” elements of built environment and social media data can well explain the spatial distribution of neighborhood vitality in urban fringe areas. Among the influencing factors, the absolute value of the correlation coefficient of network exposure is the largest, followed by road density and functional density. Thanks to the different bandwidths given by MGWR to the influencing factors, the global influencing factors are only two indicators—development intensity and functional mixing degree—while the other influencing factors are all local, and the influence degree of different regions is different, so it is necessary to analyze and put forward different planning suggestions accordingly.

Urban–Rural Integration and Agricultural Technology Innovation: Evidence from China

Urban and rural relations are important for the sustainable development of a nation or region. Urban and rural integration (URI), as a conceptual framework and strategic tool for managing urban–rural relations, is supposed to play a role in linking urban and rural socio-economic systems to promote the two-way flow of resources, facilitate spatial restructuring and functional transformation, enhance resource allocation efficiency, and shorten the gap between urban and rural areas. This article takes agriculture technological innovation in China as an example, and discuss whether and how URI can promote agricultural technological innovation (ATI). Based on a dataset of 288 prefecture-level cities spanning the years from 1999 to 2018, this article analyzes the mechanism and effect of URI on the development of ATI by using the negative binomial regression model and other models based on measuring the level of URI in the municipal area. The main conclusions are as follows. (1) URI positively promotes the development of ATI and exhibits significant heterogeneity across various dimensions, regions, and agricultural production areas. (2) The mechanism analysis shows that governance systems and mature markets positively moderate the impact of URI on promoting ATI, which also exhibits heterogeneous characteristics across various regions. (3) The impact of URI on the development of ATI exhibits a double threshold effect, and its marginal impact on the development of ATI increases with the deepening of URI. Moreover, the threshold effect of URI demonstrates significant heterogeneity. In central and urban areas, after surpassing the threshold value, the influence of URI on agricultural technological innovation becomes greater. Therefore, it is crucial to continuously deepen the development of URI, smooth the channels of factor flow, enhance resource sharing, break down the urban and rural barriers, and create a new engine for ATI development.

Rural greenways for urban environmental demands: Environmentalised urbanisation in the Pearl River Delta

China’s environmental turn is diversifying the country’s urbanisation trajectories. Previously abstracted and exploited as a vast land reserve for urban expansion, the countryside of China now captures the imagination of a growing crowd of green-loving urbanites with its ecological and cultural resources, propelling a new, environmentalised form of urbanisation. In the Pearl River Delta, the development of rural greenways has driven this urbanisation, in which rural lives and landscapes have evolved in response to their encounters with urban users of the greenways. Based on the late John Friedmann’s multidimensional understanding of China’s urbanisation, this paper unpacks four aspects of changes brought about by greenway-driven urbanisation in the Pearl River Delta’s countryside since the 2010s, namely, economic diversification, institutional adaptation, physical reconfiguration, and sociocultural transformation. These changes underscore the need for research on China’s urban-rural relations to pay more attention to the growing centrality of the environment in the politics and practices of urbanisation.

The Influence of Tourism’s Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity on the Urban–Rural Relationship: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration, China

The Influence of Tourism’s Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity on the Urban–Rural Relationship: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration, China

Counterurbanization in China? A case study of counties in Huang-Huai-Hai area from the perspective of urban-rural relations

For decades, China's urbanization has primarily involved trans-regional migration from inland areas to major city regions along the coast or within the interior. As urban-rural disparities diminish, China has transitioned to intra-regional urbanization. However, there remains a gap in understanding the effects of this transition of urban-rural relations within China. This study focuses on counties as the fundamental research unit, examining net migration of the Huang-Huai-Hai Area. The spatial differentiation and its influencing factors were analyzed using ArcGIS and linear regression techniques. The results indicated a shift in the net migration trend of counties' populations in the Huang-Huai-Hai Area around 2010. The phenomenon of “counterurbanization” after 2010 changed the underlying rationale for population net migration. Counties' net migration was affected by both their relationship with cities and internal county factors. The close connection with cities promoted population growth in the counties. In-situ urbanization was vital for county development. The industrial structural adjustments were pivotal in population retention. The healthcare and education resources affected the migration patterns. The “counterurbanization” in this area could create new urban-rural dynamics. The revitalization of county populations meant significant implications for rural revitalization. This study, which is one of the first studies ever of the phenomenon of counterurbanization in a developing country, can provide insights for the development of integrated urban-rural areas and rural revitalization efforts.

Enhancing Urban–Rural Integration in China: A Comparative Case Study of Introducing Small Rural Industries in Huangyan-Taizhou

Strengthening urban–rural linkages (URLs) has been proposed by UN-Habitat within the framework of ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ to narrow down urban–rural differences via shaping new urban–rural relationships. Like URL, the aim of urban–rural integration (URI) has been promoted by the Chinese government since 2019 to address existing urban–rural divides. This concept underlines the ‘rural revitalisation’ strategy and emphasises a two-way flow of urban–rural development factors. Introducing and upgrading ‘appropriate’ rural industries is crucial to stimulate and facilitate the circulation of urban–rural development factors. This research studied three neighbouring villages, situated in urban–rural interface areas in Huangyan-Taizhou, China, each driven by different types of small industries supported by URI. It analyses the impact of small rural industries on the flow of development factors between urban and rural areas. The results showed that small-scale rural industries have been enhanced URL by decreasing urban–rural differences by creating new job opportunities to attract an in-flow population, increasing investments, and upgrading public services and infrastructure. Indigenous industries demonstrated lower profitability but exhibited greater resilience compared to industries linked to global production chains and rural tourism. Thus, this study demonstrates the imperative to carefully consider the opportunities and potential risks associated with pursuing strategies of URI through rural industry development. By providing empirical insights from URI projects in China, this study contributes to theoretical and policy dialogues concerning the concepts of both URL and URI by exploring the localization of SDGs. Furthermore, it offers valuable practical knowledge and experience for other global regions confronting similar challenges to urban and rural development.

Innovative Paths for Digital Empowerment in RuralRevitalization of Ethnic Minority Areas

The integrated development of urban and rural areas is the main line and focus of the three rural issues'' work in the new era, which is of great significance for solving the problems of unbalanced and inadequate development in ethnic regions and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. Based on the review of the evolution of urban-rural relations and related theories of urban-rural integrated development, this paper analyzes the prominent problems in ethnic regions, such as the imbalance of urban-rural development, rural hollowing, lagging infrastructure and public services, and ecological environment protection. Centering on the main line of digital empowerment for rural revitalization in ethnic regions, systematic countermeasures and suggestions are put forward from the aspects of constructing a digital rural development strategy'', promoting the system integration of `people-industry-land' '', taking classified measures to promote the revitalization of different types of rural areas'', promoting the free flow of urban and rural production factors'', and promoting rural space reconstruction''. At the same time, based on typical case practices, the replicable and extendable experience of digital rural development is summarized, the main challenges faced are analyzed, and policy suggestions are put forward from the aspects of top-level design, financial support, resource integration, pilot demonstration, and talent cultivation, so as to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the integrated development of urban and rural areas and rural revitalization in ethnic regions.

Application of 3D Image Technology in Rural Planning

The well-being of villages and villagers is directly related to the development of urban-rural relations. Rural development is an important part of poverty alleviation, as well as the main goal and means of rural rejuvenation, because rural planning affects rural economic development and rural revitalization. Electronic imaging can improve the speed of rural area planning, and can also model the planned scheme. However, the current rural planning still lacks top-level design, which cannot improve the overall structural design of rural planning, and the data resources of rural planning are not perfect. Therefore, this article studied the direction of rural planning and design by analyzing the focus, problems, and external environment characteristics of rural planning, and then analyzed the application characteristics in rural planning according to the process of 3D image technology. By reducing the complex design links in rural planning, the office efficiency of planning and the 3D visualization of planning model can be promoted, so as to improve the effect of rural planning and the construction service of rural planning. The simulated annealing algorithm showed that the planning efficiency and average planning speed of 3D image application in rural planning were gradually increasing; the average planning efficiency was about 1.80, and the average planning speed was about 1.05. The planning efficiency increased by 1.20 in the whole process, while the average planning speed increased by 0.33 in the whole process. Through comparison, it can be seen that the planning rationality of rural planning under 3D image was 12.16% higher than the original one, while the measurement error rate of some teachers was 47.28% lower. In a word, 3D imaging and electronic imaging can improve the architectural design and layout planning of rural planning.

Coupling of Changing Trends in Population and Construction Land in Traditional Rural Areas and Spatial Patterns in Urban–Rural Development, 2016–2021: A Case Study of Heilongjiang Province, China

Coupling of Changing Trends in Population and Construction Land in Traditional Rural Areas and Spatial Patterns in Urban–Rural Development, 2016–2021: A Case Study of Heilongjiang Province, China

Rural Hollowing-Out Revisited: A Comparative Literature Review Between China and Japan

The issue of rural hollowing out is not unique to China, as various countries worldwide have witnessed different degrees of this phenomenon during the process of urbanization. Japan and China, among those nations grappling with rural hollowing out, share noteworthy similarities, rendering Japan's governance experience particularly instructive for China. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of Japan's issues with rural over-saturation and China's challenges with rural hollowing, revealing disparities in the formation mechanisms and timelines of these phenomena in the two countries. Notably, China experienced the hollowing-out problem later than Japan, and the process unfolded at a swifter pace. Examining governance policies, Japan advocates for the autonomous development of hollow villages in later stages. China stands to benefit by adopting Japan's supportive policies for rural areas, such as the 'one village, one product' initiative, which encourages hollowed villages to explore their unique strengths and specialize in products for endogenous development. In the realm of coordinating urban-rural relations, China can draw inspiration from Japan's strategy of "supporting rural areas with cities." This entails fostering rural development by investing in education and healthcare infrastructure in central cities, thereby promoting urban-rural integration.

Revisiting wildfire resilience from a territorial perspective: insights from Mediterranean Spain

Wildfires are increasingly recognized as a complex socioecological phenomenon, yet their linkages with territorial development are not clearly spelled out. This article seeks to unveil the sociopolitical and sociospatial ramifications of wildfires by framing them as a territorial issue, and understanding fire-prone territories as dynamic entities that emerge in essentially political processes, defined by socioecological relations that unfold across different spatial and temporal scales. Against this backdrop, building resilience is considered a territorially embedded and continuous process, driven by mechanisms operating “behind the flames.” By operationalizing this framework in the region of Valencia (Spain), it is shown how social innovation can help overcome lock-ins and enhance resilience. This research showcases the importance of building a trusting, collaborative culture across sectors and actors, and brings to the forefront the importance of considering rural–urban relationships for reducing territorial inequalities and building more resilient futures in Mediterranean, fire-prone territories.

The Ideology of Sustainable Cities

This article focuses on the concept, characteristics, theoretical research, and international mainstream urban models of sustainable cities. Sustainability city refers to a city that is able to provide sustainable well-being for its inhabitants without reducing urban ecosystem services under certain socio-economic conditions. The theoretical study of sustainable cities has a wide range of perspectives covering all aspects of social development. It deals primarily with the physical composition of cities and the more abstract environmental, economic, social, cultural, political systems, and social equity aspects, and is characterised by efficient public transport systems, the use of renewable energy sources, sustainable buildings, and an overall commitment to reducing carbon emissions. Factors involved in sustainable urban forms such as new urban spatial forms, urban-rural relationships, scale and density, transport principles and land use patterns are explored. The validity of the compact city theory is proved or disproved from different perspectives, and the negative impacts of compact urban form, including the impact of high-density buildings on the ecosystem services of urban green spaces and urban biodiversity. In the context of rapid urban change and globalisation, the construction of sustainable cities is bound to face more challenges and opportunities. These studies have greatly enriched the connotation of sustainable cities and laid a theoretical foundation for the practice of building sustainable cities.

Research on the Optimization Path of Agricultural Factor Endowment Structure under the Perspective of Rural Revitalization

The strategy of rural revitalization is to adhere to the priority development of agriculture and rural areas, further adjust the urban-rural relationship between agriculture and industry, and accelerate the development of agriculture and rural economy, while optimizing the structure of China's agricultural factor endowment is the key to achieve rapid agricultural development and rural revitalization. Through the perspective of new structural economics, this paper discusses the relationship between agricultural factor endowment structure and agricultural institutional arrangement, agricultural industrialization and upgrading of agricultural factor endowment structure, as well as changes in agricultural factor prices and changes in agricultural factor inputs, and specifically researches how to optimize the existing structure of agricultural factor endowment and puts forward relevant suggestions.

Prospects for Strengthening Economic Relations Between Cities and Rural Areas (According to the Results of the Survey of Agricultural Producers)

An urgent scientific and practical task is to develop ties and strengthen cooperation between cities and rural areas. Agricultural producers are one of the key participants in such cooperation in the economic sphere. In this regard, it is advisable to take their opinion into account when determining prospects, developing measures and tools for the development of rural-urban relations. The article is devoted to the substantiation of promising directions for the development of economic relations between cities and rural territories based on the results of a survey of heads of agricultural organizations and farms of the Vologda Region. It is established that the most relevant and promising, according to agricultural producers, areas of development of rural-urban relations, cooperation are agriculture and agriculture in general, as well as the field of education. It has been revealed that the main links between agricultural organizations and firms, organizations, institutions located in cities are: conducting laboratory research in urban institutions; training and advanced training of employees of agricultural organizations in educational institutions of cities; marketing of agricultural products to processing enterprises, shops, retail chains of cities and buying from urban enterprises of raw materials, materials, equipment needed in agricultural production; implementation of joint investment projects. The directions of strengthening and development of rural-urban relations in the mentioned directions are proposed.

Research on the village layout optimization in China's developed areas based on daily life circles.

Public service facilities are the basic material carrier of social services. It is of great significance for the operation of social justice and the improvement of residents' wellbeing. In the process of rapid urbanization, the demand for traffic convenience and diversity of public service facilities in rural areas has been further improved. Since the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, it is more necessary to meet the public service needs of human daily life within a certain space. The huge gap between urban and rural infrastructures, human living conditions, and supporting public services such as education, health, and culture has become a key bottleneck constraining the integration of urban and rural areas. It is appropriate to focus on the requirements for the construction of daily life circles and prioritize the satisfaction of villagers' increasing demand for public services in regions characterized by high levels of urban-rural integration. The behavior preference of public service facilities significantly affects the choice of residential areas. The existing research on village layout optimization focused on the spatial pattern, landscape morphology, influencing factors, and other contents. To some extent, the preference for equalization of public services in the context of urban-rural integration has been ignored. Uneven distribution and low utilization of public service facilities in villages resulted in an inability to adapt spatially and functionally in response to the renewal of urban-rural relations. Taking a highly developed urban and rural integration area named Wuxi City of Jiangsu Province in China as an example, this paper combines the current situation of public service facility allocation and the transport situation of residents in rural areas to build a life-circle system of different levels. On this basis, combined with the optimization goal of public service facilities and the constraints of agglomeration coverage, we try to determine the village layout optimization scheme under the construction of both the daily life circle and location-allocation model. The study can effectively adjust the allocation of public resources in rural areas and solve the problems of irrational village layout leading to long travel distances. It can also serve as a reference for improving the situation of lagging rural public service functions and promoting urban-rural equalization.

A methodological path to foster inner peripheries’ sustainable and resilient futures: A research experience from Southern Italy

The future of inner peripheries, suffering a demographic decline (ESPON, 2017) that threatens the survival of their relevant environmental and cultural heritage, represents an important challenge for the whole of Europe. The urgency to address some long-lasting problems affecting inner peripheries (depopulation, population ageing, limited accessibility, economic marginality) has been recognized and partially addressed through European and national strategies. However, some crucial issues must be still addressed: reversing the rhetoric of inner peripheries as marginal areas, by focusing on their potential; strengthening communities’ engagement in shaping their own future; better addressing the complex urban-rural relationships. The RI.P.R.O.VA.RE. Project11RI.P.R.O.VA.RE. is the acronym of “Riabitare i Paesi. Strategie Operative per la valorizzazione e la Resilienza delle Aree Interne” (Re-inhabiting Villages. Operational strategies for the enhancement and resilience of inner areas). developed a three-step methodological path to trigger development processes based on a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach and the engagement of local communities in co-designing visions and strategies for a resilient and sustainable development. The proposed methodological path, tested on some areas in South Italy, can be easily replicated in other European contexts that, according to the EU cohesion policy 2021–2027, aim at reducing territorial and socio-economic imbalances to foster sustainable development.

Conflicts in the inter-municipal management of commercial areas – a case study using cognitive-affective mapping

ABSTRACT Multiple conflicts of spatial planning are currently intensifying in the context of sustainability transformations. This paper aims to better understand the conflicts involved in planning inter-municipal commercial areas (IMCA) in city-regional constellations. Choosing an explicit conflict perspective integrating different strands of literature, a qualitative in-depth case study using cognitive-affective mapping (CAM) is carried out. The case study analyzes a region comprising a large urban center and multiple smaller surrounding communities in Southern Germany, where several attempts to cooperate have failed, ostensibly due to poor urban-rural relations. Our findings reveal that the situation is more complex: IMCA is hindered by vertical and horizontal governance conflicts and sectoral conflicts of interest. While land use conflicts on where to implement IMCA are hindering concrete projects, a deeper conflict potential lies in the question of whether to plan new commercial areas at all. Albeit IMCA are proposed as the solution for reducing land take and realizing economic growth, the planning of IMCA reflects this global tension on the regional and local level without being able to solve it per se. We conclude that an explicit conflict perspective as well as the CAM method can be fruitful for planning research and practice.

From Confrontation to Integration: Changes of the Urban-Rural Relationship in China's Rural Movies in Social Transformation

This paper delves into the evolving portrayal of the urban-rural dynamic in Chinese rural films over the past four decades, set against the backdrop of China's profound social transformation. Our primary focus is on how the narrative shifts within Chinese rural cinema have both mirrored and shaped the broader socio-cultural changes accompanying China's urbanization process, thereby influencing the identities of rural inhabitants. To facilitate this exploration, we conduct a comparative analysis of two pivotal films: "Life" (1984) and "Coffee or Tea" (2020). Throughout this study, we pinpoint significant narrative transitions that mark this evolution, such as the shift from individuals "leaving hometowns" to "returning home," providing insight into varying levels of social status among villagers. Additionally, we observe a transformation in character portrayals from "runaway" figures to "new farmers," reflecting changing rural perspectives towards their places of origin. Moreover, there is a notable shift in value orientations from an emphasis on "individual struggle" to a focus on "common prosperity," showcasing the countryside's capacity to integrate new technologies and ideologies. These narrative transformations signal a shift in the urban-rural relationship, progressing from a state of opposition and division to one of integration and reconciliation. Concurrently, the identities of rural inhabitants undergo a transformation, shifting from a self-centered focus to one centered around their hometowns. This study not only offers valuable insights into rural narrative texts within the context of modernity narratives but also provides an in-depth exploration of contemporary Chinese rural cinema as an art form.
 
 Received: 26 September 2023 / Accepted: 15 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024