The urban and rural development are two modes of growth and improvement of human settlements. Urban development is a system of expansion of residential areas aimed at creating cities.
For its part, rural development is a process that aims to improve the standard of living of people living in non-urban areas.
In this sense, both modalities require integrated processes to achieve the objectives set.
The first is the result of careful planning by civil and design engineers, project managers, architects, environmental planners, and surveyors.
The second includes the social, economic and political development of the poorest sectors and the most remote places.
Challenges of urban and rural development
Today, urban and rural development is a key priority area on the growth and poverty reduction agenda of many countries.
The current focus is that city-country links are vital to reducing poverty rates and promoting rural and urban development in a sustainable way.
These links can contribute to improving living standards and creating employment opportunities in both contexts.
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that the urbanization process (growth of urban population) has increased globally, especially in developing countries.
Thus, in 1950 only 30% of the population lived in rural areas. Already in 2014 the proportion had increased to 54%. And the projections speak of 66% for the year 2050.
This poses great challenges for urban planning. But it also highlights the need to improve the living conditions of rural populations and avoid mass migration.
Urban Development
The urbanization process brings as a consequence important changes in the spatial distribution of people, resources, use and consumption of land.
On the other hand, there is a close relationship between this process and social and economic development. Cities and metropolitan areas contribute greatly to national economies and play a vital role in articulating world markets.
For this reason, in many countries, urban issues occupy large spaces on national policy agendas. However, many countries lack the supportive policies and frameworks to reap its benefits.
In fact, in developing countries, the challenges of urbanization often outweigh the advances in progress.
In any case, the challenges to be faced include: managing urban sprawl and congestion, promoting social inclusion and achieving environmental sustainability.
Rural development
The greatest challenge for rural development is overcoming the deep disparities between these sectors and urban areas.
According to data provided by the United Nations, rural areas have a higher incidence of lack of access to modern electricity services.
This negatively affects productivity, educational attainment and even health, aggravating the problem of poverty.
They also have fewer improved sources of drinking water, and a very high proportion lack improved sanitation facilities.
References
- Brooks, A. (2017, September 26). What is Urban Development? Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from bizfluent.com.
- AgroInfo. (s / f). What is Rural Development. Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from agriinfo.in.
- Chulu, J. (2016, March 01). Rural and Urban Development: Sustainable Rural-Urban Linkages. Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from papers.ssrn.com.
- Benna, U. (2017). Urbanization and Its Impact on Socio-Economic Growth in Developing Regions. Hershey: IGI Global.
- OECD. (s / f). Urban Development. Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from oecd.org.
- ONE habitat. (s / f). National Urban Policies. Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from unhabitat.org.
- UN Sustainable Development. (s / f). Rural Development. Retrieved on November 30, 2017, from sustainabledevelopment.un.org.