Unit 1 - Concept of Rural Urban Linkage

A. Concept of Urban Center

Urban is a center which is developed in terms of facilitates and infrastructure.
Non-farm activities and industrial sector led profession.
Centers are developed to supply secondary goods and services to rural people.
The advancement of technology.
Administrative facilities are provided by urban center.

B. Rural / Hinterland

Rural area are also called hinterland area which is a surrounding area under the influence of urban center.
It is beyond industrial and infrastructural development.
It products primary goods.
It provides raw materials , labor and food stuffs to urban area.
The primary profession of rural people is agriculture.

C. Concept of Rural Urban Linkage

Rural urban linkage is always a dynamic and multidimensional approach to deal with the relationship between rural and urban area.
Transportation, communication and institution system or service delivery systems are important elements to facilitate linkage, flow and interaction between rural hinterland and market center.
It is related with the two way relationship between rural and urban area.
The flow of goods and services is based to establish the proper and useful relation between rural and urban area.

Definition of Rural Urban Linkage

According to UN Center of Human Settlement: “Rural urban linkage is an integrated approach to promote balanced and mutually supportive rural-urban development.
Harish and Moore: “ The rural urban debates and linkage had been focused on rural agriculture vs. urban industry and sectoral conflicts vs. allocation of resources in rural and urban area”.
ADB: “Rural urban linkage is an integrated requirements to be fulfilled with the interaction of rural urban relation in regard of income generation, cultural activities, growth, public development program, peoples participation and cultural activities in both rural and urban area.

Essential factors for Developing Rural Urban Relation

To promote services and facilities available in small towns which could encourage for the rural development through urban areas for production.
Transformation of rural areas in regard of socio-economic aspect of rural area.
Planning and distribution of administration, political division and resources allocation both in rural and urban areas.
Local people’s participation in decision making level.

Three Major Elements of Rural Urban Linkage

City Centers: Their structure, functions and distribution of resources.
Rural Hinterlands: Sources, types and utilization. Available resources and their allocation and flow to urban.
Distance: elements which link rural and urban area like, road and transportation, entrepreneurs and service delivery system.

Concept of Setting and Settlement

Setting and settlements system are fundamental elements of rural urban linkage. They influence agricultural pattern, trade, transportation, manufacturing sector, health, education and finance etc.
Setting is natural and artificial composition of locality. Settlement is the grouping of the people into occupancy units together utilizing the facilities in the form of houses, streets, drinking water, electricity, school etc.
Settlement system consists of houses, the people who lives in cities, town, villages, hamlet and so on.

Elements of Settlement

Farm, villages and urban places.
Network of settlement (location, size, function and their relation )
Housing patterns
Road and transportation networks

Types of Settlement

Dispersed Settlement
Agglomerated Settlement

1. Dispersed Settlement

The settlement having agricultural area, minute size of settlement unit caused by rugged land topography of hilly and Himalayan region is dispersed settlement.

Advantages of Dispersed Settlement

Friendly behavior of people
Mutual co-operation
Availability of natural resources
Possibility of high production
No threat high pollution of environment

Disadvantages of Dispersed Settlement

Less infrastructural development
High poverty
Alternative source of employment is less
High service cost

Planning implication of Dispersed Settlement

High investment for per unit of production
Lack of people’s participation
No stronger link with center
High service cost
Difficult to promote infrastructural development
Less access to decision making process

2. Concept of Agglomerated Settlement

The inhabitants use other resources than agricultural production and the size and locality of settlement in nuclear form having compact unit of housing is called agglomerated settlement.
Non agricultural activities, buying and selling, transportation, manufacturing, higher density of population in per capita unit area is a part of agglomerated settlement.

Advantages

Employment opportunities
Transportation facilities
Infrastructural development
Minimum distance from one house to another
Proper utilization of natural resources

Disadvantages of Agglomerated Settlement

High criminal activities
Lack of natural resources
Lack of cultural relationship
Threat of pollution

Planning Implication of agglomerated Settlement

Low cost
Low per capita investment for development of infrastructure
Close contact between rural and urban center
High access to decision making process
People’s participation
Proper utilization of natural resources

Issues in Urban-Rural Linkage

A. Rural Urban Distinction

This is one of the major issues of rural urban linkage.
The major distinction found in rural and urban area or the majors to maintain distinction between rural and urban areas are: human settlement, size of population, density of population, different occupation and facilities and services, environment and living standard.
Process of transformation: agriculture to industry in rural area and industrialization to more urbanization.

B. Rural-Urban Dichotomy (Dualism)

Rural area changes to urban area through a long period of time exercising modern techniques.
The dualism created after industrialization due to concentration of industrial activities and migration.
It creates rural urban regional imbalance in economic development.

The following are major examples of it:

Demographic dichotomy: Size of population of rural and urban area
Occupational dichotomy: Agricultural and non agricultural/ industrial occupation.
Living Standard: High and low living standard depend upon income and facilities
Infrastructural facilities: less development and high infrastructural development.
Social dichotomy: traditional and modern thinking pattern.
Level of Income: High in urban area and low in rural area.
Settlement pattern: Dispersed and compact settlement.
Density of population: High and low density of population.

C. Rural- Urban Continuum

It is a sequence with gradual change/ development from one extreme to another.
Reciprocal & overlapped relation in economic, spatial, cultural and social dimension between rural and urban settlement.
According to this concept, urban and rural areas can not be differentiated because of inherent interplay and overlaps.
Two extremes of continuum: one is most urban and another is most rural.
There is no definite point where rural ends and urban begins.
This is useful for bridging the gap between rural and urban areas not in absolute form but in relative form .

D. Urban Hierarchy

The role of market towns in rural development particularly in developing countries has become a focal point for discussion.
Whether the urban hierarchy are important or not is a base of debate in this area on the following four matters :
- Decentralized integrated area development planning
- Location of rural development services and facilities
- Linkage between urban and rural areas
- Marketing of rural and urban products.

There are three points of view in it:
- Optimistic view: This view is in favor of development of market towns and argue that emergence of market towns is indispensible for rural development.
- Pessimistic view: Small towns and market centers are not capable to promote rural development. It brings negative process of rural development. So, investment should be made directly in facilities and services in rural areas.
- Intermediate view: If potentialities of small towns and market centers are carefully used, some of their activities will be helpful for rural development.

Old questions for discussion

Long questions: 15 marks

What are the major four issues in urban rural relations? Describe each of them with suitable examples. (2066)
Define rural urban linkage. Describe the conceptual issues in rural urban linkage (2066 old course).
Define hinterland. Describe the components of rural urban linkages. (2067)
Explain the major factors responsible for the development of agglomerated and dispersed settlement in Nepal? Explain the planning implication of agglomerated settlement in rural development of Nepal. (2067)
Rural urban linkage is an approach to rural development. Discus it with reference to rural development of Nepal. (2068)
Discuss the component of rural urban linkage. Why rural urban linkage is important for rural development of Nepal. (2069)
What is rural urban linkage? What are the planning implications of dispersed and agglomerated settlements in rural development planning? (2061)

Short questions – 10 marks

What are the planning implications of dispersed and agglomerated settlements? (2060)
Is rural urban a continuum or dichotomy? Discuss.
Describe the factors of development of agglomerated settlement and its importance in infrastructure and facilities planning. (2066)
Dispersed settlements of Nepal are not favorable for sustainable development of infrastructure and facilities. Do you agree? Explain it with suitable examples. (2066 old course).
Small market town can enhance the rural development. Discuss it with reference to rural development in Nepal. (2068)