Urban Rural Research Articles

Brief Report: Rural–Urban Differences in Disability Prevalence, Healthcare Services Utilization, and Participation in Special Education

Brief Report: Rural–Urban Differences in Disability Prevalence, Healthcare Services Utilization, and Participation in Special Education

The Dynamics of Cardiovascular Risk-An Analysis of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Poland Cohort Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the major cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors and their trends in the study population. Methods: The results of subjects in the Polish Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological Study (PURE) study group were interpreted. CVR was calculated for each participant according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE2) scale or the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation-Older Persons (SCORE2-OP) scale. Data from the beginning of the analysis (2013) and nine years later (2022) were included. In addition, the use of lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) and meeting the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) target criterion at the beginning and end of the study were analyzed. Results: Patients in the high and very high CVR groups who had abnormal LDL-c results accounted for 64% and 91% of their group in 2013 and 70% and 92% in 2022, respectively. Conclusions: Regardless of age, patients using LLT at the start of the analysis had a greater increase in future CVR, especially if they had lipid abnormalities at the start of the study. This may be due to reverse causality and multimorbidity in these patients, highlighting the importance of appropriate treatment of lipid abnormalities.

Rural Area Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic as Exemplified by Urban–Rural Communes in Poland

The purpose of the paper is to characterize the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic for farms and resilience activities performed by farmers in response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of building rural area resilience. Research was carried out in all 87 urban–rural communes in Poland and focused on special determinants of rural resilience such as connections between small cities and rural areas, as well as the location of the territorial unit (peripheral versus non-peripheral). The purpose of the survey was to poll local government representatives on the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic for farms and identify resilience activities performed by farmers in response to the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical research was performed from September to October 2021. The results emphasize the significance of the diversification of farms and networks for strategies for coping with the COVID-19 crisis. The research revealed processes wherein farms adapted, even if to a small extent, to crisis conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges, at the same time stimulating innovative responses in communities and businesses in rural areas. This study also confirms the role of ITC solutions in the process of adaptation to the crisis and implies a need to strengthen local links between the rural area and the city, especially those relevant to peripheral areas. Local government authorities play a crucial role in this process.

A one-covariate-at-a-time multiple testing approach to variable selection in additive models

. This article proposes a One-Covariate-at-a-time Multiple Testing (OCMT) approach to choose significant variables in high-dimensional nonparametric additive regression models. Similarly to Chudik, Kapetanios, and Pesaran, we consider the statistical significance of individual nonparametric additive components one at a time and take into account the multiple testing nature of the problem. Both one-stage and multiple-stage procedures are considered. The former works well in terms of the true positive rate only if the net effects of all signals are strong enough; the latter helps to pick up hidden signals that have weak net effects. Simulations demonstrate the good finite-sample performance of the proposed procedures. As an empirical illustration, we apply the OCMT procedure to a dataset extracted from the Longitudinal Survey on Rural Urban Migration in China. We find that our procedure works well in terms of out-of-sample root mean square forecast errors, compared with competing methods such as adaptive group Lasso (AGLASSO).

Characteristics of Injurious Shootings by Police Along the Urban–Rural Continuum

INTRODUCTIONMuch research on shootings by police has focused on urban jurisdictions, but most US law enforcement agencies are not located in cities. Prior research suggests rates of fatal shootings by police are comparable in urban and non-urban areas. Yet, shooting characteristics across the urban-rural continuum are unknown. This study describes and compares fatal and nonfatal injurious shootings by officers in US urban, suburban, and rural areas from 2015-2020. METHODSCharacteristics of fatal and nonfatal injurious shootings by police were abstracted from Gun Violence Archive. In 2023-2024, using zip-code and county-based rurality designations, the national distribution, incidence, and characteristics of injurious shootings by police were compared across urban, suburban, and rural areas of the United States. RESULTSRates of injurious shootings in rural areas approached or exceeded urban rates. As rurality increased, proportionately more injurious shootings involved single responders, sheriffs, or multiple agency types. Across the urban-rural continuum, characteristics of precipitating incidents were similar. Injurious shootings were most frequently preceded by domestic violence incidents, traffic stops, or shots-fired reports; co-occurring behavioral health needs were common. After accounting for local demographic differences, Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic residents were injured at higher rates than white residents in all examined areas. CONCLUSIONSShootings by police represent an overlooked and inequitable source of injury in rural areas. Broadly similar incident characteristics suggest potential for wide-reaching reforms. To prevent injuries, crisis prevention, dispatch, and response systems must assure proportionate rural-area coverage. Additionally, legislative prevention and accountability measures should include sheriffs’ offices for optimal rural-area impact.

Rural–Urban Dynamics of Police Corruption: Views of Ghanaian Police Officers

Rural–Urban Dynamics of Police Corruption: Views of Ghanaian Police Officers

Urbanization and the Emergence of Small Towns: Rural Urban Transformations and the Formation of Urban Vernacular Settlements in East Kazakhstan

Urbanization and the Emergence of Small Towns: Rural Urban Transformations and the Formation of Urban Vernacular Settlements in East Kazakhstan

Impact of rural location on receipt of standard of care treatment and survival for locally advanced bladder cancer in Louisiana.

We aim to determine the effect of region of residence (urban vs. rural) on the odds of receiving standard of care treatment for locally advanced BCa in Louisiana and its impact on survival outcomes. Using the Louisiana Tumor Registry, we identified American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage II or III, BCa diagnoses in Louisiana residents between 2010 and 2020. Treatment received was classified as standard or non-standard of care according to American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines and location of residence was determined using Rural Urban Commuting Area-Tract-level 2010 (RUCA). Multivariable logistic regression analyses and multivariate cox proportional hazard analyses were performed. Of 983 eligible patients, 85.6% (841/983) lived in urban areas. Overall, only 37.5% received standard-of-care (SOC) for the definitive management of locally advanced bladder cancer. Individuals living in rural areas (OR 0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.91, p = 0.02) were less likely to receive standard of care treatment. Both rural residence and receipt of non-standard of care therapy were associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer-specific (adj HR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.09-2.14, p = 0.01 and adj HR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.43-2.39, <0.0001) and overall mortality (adj HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01-1.61, p = 0.04 and adj HR: 1.73 95% CI: 1.44-2.07, p < 0.0001). Most patients with locally advanced bladder cancer in Louisiana do not receive SOC therapy. Individuals living in rural locations are more likely to receive non-standard of care therapy than individuals in urban areas. Nonstandard of care treatment and rural residence are both associated with worse survival outcomes for Louisiana residents with locally advanced bladder cancer.

The Influence of Rural Urbanization on the Change in Soil Organic Matter of Farmland in Northeast China

The Influence of Rural Urbanization on the Change in Soil Organic Matter of Farmland in Northeast China

From Division to Coordination: A Study on the Power of Urban Rural Integration of the Minimum Living Security System from the Perspective of Multi Source Flow

For a long time, China's minimum subsistence guarantee system has suffered from the problem of large differences between provinces and cities, and between cities and rural areas within provinces and cities, and in this context, some regions have gradually implemented the urban-rural integration policy and have gained some experience. Based on the theory of multiple streams, it can be found that the convergence of problem or policy streams can open a window of opportunity for policy change, and in China, the political environment and the party's philosophy of governance can also provide reliance on and support for policy change, and the coupling of the three streams provides the conditions for the promotion of the process of urban-rural integration. On this basis, countermeasures are proposed to promote the urban-rural integration of the minimum subsistence guarantee system in three aspects: paying attention to the emergence of problems, exploring policy options and adhering to the political philosophy.

Assessment of the New Regional Plan in Mongolia with regards to Rural Development and Urbanization Issues based on Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai Provinces

Assessment of the New Regional Plan in Mongolia with regards to Rural Development and Urbanization Issues based on Arkhangai and Uvurkhangai Provinces

The Influence and Mechanism of Digital Village Construction on the Urban–Rural Income Gap under the Goal of Common Prosperity

Digital village construction is not only a vital component of the digital China strategy but also a crucial measure by which to realize common prosperity. This study theoretically elaborates the influence of digital village construction on the urban–rural income gap (URIG) and its mechanism and empirically tests it by using a panel fixed-effect model, a mediating-effect model, and a moderating-effect model based on the provincial data of major producing areas from 2011 to 2020. The results show that digital village construction can significantly narrow the URIG, and rural industry revitalization is a vital channel for digital village construction in driving the decline of the URIG. The construction of transportation infrastructure can significantly enhance the inhibition effect of digital village construction on the URIG. Moreover, there is a human capital threshold for the impact of digital village construction on the URIG; after crossing the threshold, digital village construction better suppresses the URIG. So, the government should increase the financial support and technical support for digital village construction, improving the rural production conditions and industrial development environment and establishing a rural digital talent cultivation mechanism so as to achieve the goal of common prosperity.

Do languages matter? The impact of local dialect proficiency on multidimensional poverty alleviation among rural-to-urban migrants in China

Language plays a crucial role in poverty among migrants. However, the relationship between language skills and poverty among internal migrants in developing countries has received limited attention. Using data from 11,789 rural-to-urban (RTU) migrants in the China Migrants Dynamic Survey, this study empirically assesses the impact of local dialect proficiency (LDP) on multidimensional poverty alleviation among migrants and further investigates potential mediators of this association. The results indicate that enhanced LDP significantly reduces the prevalence of multidimensional poverty among RTU migrants, with speaking proficiency having a more significant effect than listening proficiency. Moreover, three key mechanisms contribute to multidimensional poverty alleviation through LDP: the expansion of social networks, enhancement of urban identity, and improvement of employment quality. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the impact of LDP on multidimensional poverty alleviation is more significant in regions characterized by higher dialect diversity and lower popularity of Mandarin, as well as among males, older generations, and RTU migrants with lower levels of education. In conclusion, this study advances understanding of the role of language proficiency in poverty alleviation among migrants by constructing a cultural-linguistic theoretical framework.

Does Urban Innovation Promote Rural Entrepreneurship? Quasi-Natural Experimental Evidence from Microdata on New Agricultural Subjects

Rural entrepreneurship has injected new vitality into the comprehensive realization of rural revitalization, and exploring the impact of urban innovation and development on rural entrepreneurship is of great significance in promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside and achieving the coordinated development of urban and rural areas. This paper utilizes the panel data of 284 cities in China from 2005 to 2020 and adopts the multi-period double-difference method to test the effect of innovative city pilots on the entrepreneurial level of new agricultural management subjects, so as to reflect the impact of innovation policy on rural entrepreneurship. The study finds that innovative city construction significantly improves the entrepreneurship level of new agricultural business subjects and that the policy effect continues to increase over time, which is still robust after considering endogeneity issues. The above effects are mainly achieved through improving scientific and technological inputs, enhancing credit support effects, and promoting scientific and technological progress. In the heterogeneity test, innovative city construction significantly promotes the entrepreneurship level of new agricultural business subjects in both small and medium-sized cities and cities with a high level of science and education, but significantly inhibits the entrepreneurship level of new agricultural management subjects in large cities and cities with a high level of science and education. At the same time, innovative city development promotes higher levels of entrepreneurship only in agricultural cooperatives and agribusinesses, with no significant effect on family farms. This study has important policy references for accelerating innovative city construction and rural revitalization development in China in the new era.

Exploring the Relationship between the Dynamics of the Urban–Rural Interface and Regional Development in a Post-Socialist Transition

This study offers, by an empirical analysis, another perspective on post-socialist development, highlighting the role of the urban–rural interface in regional dynamics. The current literature on the relationships between both issues is not too rich and our paper analyzes the relationships between core cities, their peri-urban areas, and their regions, through a comparative overview of their growth over the last three decades. Romania, as a special case study for a contradictory transition, due to the great step from a drastic dictatorial regime to a democracy and a market economy, is a good example to test these complex relationships. Considering the new development trend at the urban–rural interfaces, our key idea was to depict their contribution to regional development (NUTS 3) compared to city cores. The second question was how this differentiated contribution can be measured, using the simplest tool. The starting point was the fact that population dynamics reflect all changes in the city core and at the urban–rural interface, and less so at a regional level. Consequently, we selected the dynamics of the number of inhabitants for the first two, as well as the dynamics of GDP per capita at the regional level. We found higher and significant correlations between GDP per capita and urban–rural interfaces, but no significant correlations in the case of city cores. Our conclusion is that, in the transition period, the dynamics of urban–rural interfaces influenced more regional development dynamics, than those of city cores. This means that urban–rural interfaces amplify the development coming from cities, adding their own contribution and then dissipating it regionally. Future research should identify what the urban–rural interface offers to regions, in addition to the city core.

Migration Along Bengaluru’s Rural–Urban Continuum: Implications for Household Well-being and Climate Change Adaptation

The academic literature on internal migration in India has been limited to studies which either capture the well-being of migrants at home or destination. With rural–urban (R–U) boundaries blurring and peri-urban areas gaining economic importance, it is imperative to move away from such binaries towards a continuum approach. Using mixed methods, this paper examines the differentiated nature of migration—its drivers and outcomes—across a R–U continuum in Karnataka. Combining household surveys with focus group discussions and life history interviews, across Bengaluru, its periphery and two predominantly rural districts, which are a source of in-migration, we document the variegated nature of migration. We show that while migrants into Bengaluru enter mostly unskilled livelihoods, peri-urban migrants tend to work in the formal sector. We also show how migration decisions are shaped by climate variability, environmental change, and social and class identity; and these factors mediate differentiated outcomes of moving on household well-being. Our findings have implications for interventions aimed at strengthening household capacities to deal with climatic and non-climatic risks and regional climate-resilient development. We also highlight that enabling inclusive, climate-resilient migration requires comprehensive interventions targeting material and subjective well-being of migrating households and individuals.

Urban Unemployment Duration Analysis in Post-Reform China

We link China’s accession to the WTO with the unemployment duration of urban jobseekers. Using data from the Rural Urban Migration in China (RUMiC) of a survey conducted in early 2008, we construct an inflow sample of those who started a period of joblessness between January 2002 and December 2007 to estimate the unemployment duration for local urban jobseekers. Deploying the Cox Proportional Hazards and Accelerated Failure Time models, we find reduced trade policy uncertainty significantly shortens unemployment duration, with hazard-rate varying across internal in-migrants and urban natives, due to variations in job accessibility and reservation wages.

OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HYPERTENSION IN COLOMBIA: PURE COHORT

Objective: To assess the association between overweight and obesity with blood pressure levels and incident hypertension in a prospective cohort with 12 years of follow-up. Design and method: Individuals aged 35 to 70 years from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology Colombia cohort study were included. Participants with a history of hypertension and diabetes at baseline were excluded. Overweight and obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater or equal to 25 kg/m2. Blood pressure (BP) was measured at baseline and every 3-year follow-up. Hypertension was defined as a self-reported history of hypertension, baseline systolic BP greater or equal to 140 mmHg, diastolic BP greater or equal to 90 mmHg, or use of BP-lowering medications. Overweight and obese participants were propensity score matched using a 1:1 ratio with non-overweight participants. We used conditional logistic regression to evaluate the association between overweight, obesity, and hypertension, calculating the odds ratio and a 95% CI. Systolic BP and diastolic BP were analyzed in a linear mixed model as response variables, with matching pairs as random effects. The regression models were adjusted by sex, age, physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use, education, waist-hip ratio, the alternative healthy eating index score, grip strength adjusted by weight, triglyceride-glucose index, and systolic BP at baseline. We established a p-value of &lt;0.05 as significant. Results: Of 7500 participants, 1146 were matched, obtaining 573 pairs. The mean BMI was 25.2 kg/m2 (SD 4.02). The frequency of women was higher in the overweight group (68.1% vs. 60.9). The baseline SBP in overweight participants was 116.92 (SD 12.62) and 118.30 (SD 11.74) in non-overweight. 37.2% of overweight participants developed hypertension, but only 29.7% in non-overweight at follow-up. There was a 32% higher risk of hypertension in overweight participants (OR 1.32 95% CI:1.08-1.61). Being overweight and obese was associated with a higher increase in SBP of 2.53 mmHg (CI: 0.74-4.31) and DBP levels of 2.80 mmHg (CI: 1.68-3.93) at follow-up. Conclusions: Overweight and obesity, independently of other risk factors were associated with increased hypertension incidence and with higher SBP and DBP levels at 12 years of follow-up.

Frontier Revitalisation of Industrial Heritage with Urban–Rural Fringe in China

The urban–rural fringe is at the forefront of the confrontation between the agricultural and industrial civilisations. How to handle the relationship between the two civilisations in this region and ensure its sustainable development is an eternal topic in the science of the human-living environment. Thanks to the special historical background of the Third Line construction, China’s industrial heritage connects with the urban–rural fringe that surpasses other countries. For the first time, this study connects China’s Third Line construction, industrial heritage, and urban–rural integration within the same context, combining big data bibliometric methods to obtain the development characteristics and context of China’s industrial heritage research starting from 2004. It has strong policy characteristics, is influenced by administrative orders, and is aligned with urbanisation efforts. Theoretical exploration is the first step in research, followed by value connotations and cultural qualities. It addresses various topics, including industrial heritage conservation, regeneration approaches, and cultural heritage tourism. The research focuses primarily on the value appraisal of industrial heritage, exploring revitalisation tactics and routes, as well as regional development models in urban–rural periphery areas. This study also examines how scholars generally consider the impact of industrial heritage on the economic, social, and cultural development of urban–rural fringe areas in order to integrate and propose various protection and utilisation strategies, such as industrial heritage preservation, cultural and creative industry development, and tourism resource development.

Optimizing Solar Heating for Thangka Exhibition Halls: A Case Study in Malkang Cultural Village

With the continuous development of rural revitalization and urbanization in China, the sustainable transformation of traditional rural architecture has become increasingly important. This study takes the Thangka exhibition hall in rural Malkang, Sichuan Province, as the research object and proposes a Thangka exhibition hall architectural design centered around solar heating and aiming for near-zero energy consumption. The research method involves establishing a solar energy system model on the roof of the exhibition hall and utilizing solar angle and area calculation formulas along with simulation software to calculate the optimal installation angle and area of solar panels, with the aim of achieving indoor temperatures that meet Thangka protection requirements while achieving zero-energy heating. Preliminary results indicate that this solar-centric near-zero energy architectural design can effectively promote the increase in indoor temperature through solar thermal conversion. Additionally, through calculation and simulation, the optimal installation angle for the solar panels achieving zero-energy heating is determined to be 24.25 with an azimuth angle of −1.2. The optimum installation area for solar panels is 8.2 square meters in the showroom and 2.7 square meters in the storeroom. Among these, the solar panel area for the Thangka exhibition hall constitutes 4.12% of the total area and is required for maintaining Thangka protection temperature requirements throughout the year, while the solar panel area for the storage room constitutes 1.88% and is also needed for the same purpose. Studying the optimal installation angle and area of solar panels can transform the exhibition hall into a near-zero-energy building, meeting the temperature requirements for Thangka preservation and human thermal comfort, while also achieving optimal economic benefits. This provides guidance and a reference for promoting near-zero-energy buildings in rural areas.