Exploring well-being disparities between urban and rural areas:A case study in the Stavropol Territory,Russia

Rural areas are crucial for a country’s sustainable economy.New strategies are needed to develop rural areas to improve the well-being of rural population and generate new job opportunities.This is especially important in countries where agricultural production accounts for a significant share of the gross product,such as Russia.In this study,we identified the key indicators of satisfaction and differences between rural and urban citizens based on their social,economic,and environmental backgrounds,and determined whether there are well-being disparities between rural and urban areas in the Stavropol Territory,Russia.We collected primary data through a survey based on the European Social Survey framework to investigate the potential differences between rural and urban areas.By computing the regional well-being index using principal component analysis,we found that there was no statistically significant difference in well-being between rural and urban areas.Results of key indicators showed that rural residents felt psychologically more comfortable and safer,assessed their family relationships better,and adhered more to traditions and customs.However,urban residents showed better economic and social conditions(e.g.,infrastructures,medical care,education,and Internet access).The results of this study imply that we can better understand the local needs,advantages,and unique qualities,thereby gaining insight into the effectiveness of government programs.Policy-makers and local authorities can consider targeted interventions based on the findings of this study and strive to enhance the well-being of both urban and rural residents.

Research on the Balanced Development of Urban and Rural Compulsory Education Through Education Resource Allocation

With the rapid development of our country’s economy,education has gradually become the focus of social attention.The problem of unbalanced distribution of urban and rural educational resources has become increasingly prominent,urban educational resources are relatively rich,while rural educational resources are relatively scarce,and the balanced development of urban and rural compulsory education has become an urgent task.This paper mainly investigates and studies the distribution of urban and rural educational resources,discusses the unbalanced distribution of urban and rural educational resources and analyzes the reasons,and puts forward a series of corresponding solutions to promote the balanced development of urban and rural compulsory education.

Factors Associated with Unmet Need for Family Planning among Couples Living in Urban and Rural Areas of Guinea in 2019

Introduction: Unmet need for family planning (UNFP) is defined as women with unmet needs who want to stop or delay childbearing but are not using any method of contraception. The objective of this study was to analyze the factors associated with unmet needs for family planning among couples living in rural and urban areas of Guinea in 2019. Methodology: This was a prospective, analytical cross-sectional, multicenter study of a six-month period from August 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019, focusing on couples with unmet needs for family planning. Result: Among 189 couples interviewed, 567 had UNFP (33.3%), the reasons for not using modern contraceptive methods were desire for pregnancy (AOR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.74, 4.31), husband’s refusal (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.81), spousal attitude (AOR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.130, 30), birth spacing (AOR = 2.10% to 95%: 1.16, 3.82), difficulty with a new pregnancy (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.74), and spousal attitude (AOR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.30). Conclusion: The involvement of spouses, especially in rural communities, would help achieve family planning objectives and reduce unmet needs for family planning.

A new approach towards the sustainability of urban-rural integration:The development strategy for central villages in the Abbasiya District of Iraq using GIS techniques

The development of rural areas usually has a positive impact on the urban-rural integration. This study explores an innovative approach to stimulate rural development by proposing qualified villages as central villages that can provide basic urban services for their residents and residents of neighboring villages. This approach can contribute to overcoming the various problems that rural areas faced at the social, economic, and environmental levels. It seeks to achieve spatial sustainability of rural areas, representing a new approach by integrating urban development methods to revitalize rural villages. The study analyzed 15 villages belonging to Abbasiya District of AL Kufa City in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Based on the GIS techniques and the analysis of urban service indicators(village population, percentage of urban building materials used in villages, distance between village and health centers, distance between village and main roads, nature of economic activity, distance between village and educational institutions, distance between village and drinking water sources, number of communication towers, and distance between village and urban administrative center), this study proposed that Abu Gharb and Albu Ghraib can served as central villages in Abbasiya District in the future. This study establishes a new rural spatial structure to achieve rural sustainable development, improves the development status of rural areas, and provides a theoretical basis for the government and relevant institutions to use urban service indicators, achieving rural sustainable development and formulating relevant development policies in Abbasiya District.

Peri-urban Development:Discussion with Land Use Zoning,Statutory Provision,and Issues inside Katahari Rural Municipality,Nepal

The peri-urban area is a transitional zone between the city and its hinterlands characterized by mixed land use and intensive flows of resources,people,goods,and services from and to the city center.These zones are generally misguided and haphazardly developed without a proper planning framework.The peri-urban area at present will be the urban area in the future;therefore,it needs planning intervention in its initial stage of growth.Katahari,a peri-urban area of Biratnagar metropolitan city,is developing a spontaneous lack of land use plans.Recently,the Government of Nepal has encouraged the local government to implement land use plans in the provided framework,policy,and guidelines.This study,in this context,attempts to analyze and identify land use issues and potential zones for Katahari rural municipality that also supports planning urban development in the future.The study is based on primary and secondary data and information supported by maps and figures.It is concluded that Katahari has been developed as a multi-function center adjoining the Biratnagar metropolitan city,and future expansion of the city will cover a wide range of rural municipalities.The postal highway that passes through it has attracted a wide range of urban functions.Agriculture,residential,commercial,and industrial are the main land use category at present and needs development control through providing land use zoning and related planning instruments through the increasing role of the stakeholder and the government agencies in the decision-making processes and implementation of spatial development frameworks to regulate peri-urban development in the area which will guide the future planning for liability,economic viability,social inclusion,and environmental sustainability in the area.Spill-over development activities of Biratnagar,have increased the number of economic activities,population growth,and mixed-use development.

Analyzing the transportation infrastructure-rural industry integration relationship in China

Transportation infrastructure is crucial to China’s economic growth because it substantially contributes to the holistic development of rural primary,secondary,and tertiary industries.This study innovatively examines transportation infrastructure and urbanization levels to explore,both theoretically and empirically,their relationship with the holistic development of primary,secondary,and tertiary industries in rural China,and the mediating role of urbanization on this relationship.We employed fixed-effects models,the entropy weight approach,mixed regression,and generalized method of moments to analyze the data of 30 provinces across China from 2013 to 2020.The results indicate that the construction of transportation infrastructure directly fosters the collective advancement of such industries in rural areas and that urbanization partially mediates the transportation infrastructure-rural industry integration relationship.However,the western region shows disparities in the integrated development of these sectors.Further analysis reveals that foreign investments amplify the positive influence of transportation infrastructure on rural industry integration.Essentially,the enhancement of rural transportation infrastructure,promotion of urbanization,implementation of strategic planning,and strengthening of support mechanisms are crucial aspects in the comprehensive development of rural industries and the achievement of rural revitalization in China.

Research on the Harmonious Development of New Rural Communities under the Perspective of Balancing Urban and Rural Areas

On the basis of offering a definition of New Rural Communities (NRCs), the paper analyzes the values of New Rural Communities and argues that the construction of NRCs is able to contribute to the enhancement of the comprehensive agricultural production capability as well as the development of social productivity. Meanwhile the incomes of the rural residents can be boosted, which denotes the realization of a harmonious society where the achievements of China's reform and development are shared by each citizen. Moreover, the construction of NRCs facilitates the economization of land use and thus improves the overall living standard of the residents, while helping to cut the administrative cost and promote democracy at the primary level. This paper also points out various problems arising during the construction of NRCS in China: blindly following suit in accordance with the modes of the urban communities; lack of funds, which leads to the absence of the supporting mechanisms of NRCs; vague positioning and the ensuing shortage of impetus for continued development. Finally, the paper raises the corresponding measures and suggestions: first, based on reality, make overall planning and scientific arrangement; second, the government should play the dominant role while respecting the principal position of the rural residents and introducing the market mechanism; third, increase science and technology input and attach equal importance to economic and social benefits; fourth, broaden fund-raising channels while completing the supervision mechanism.

Analysis of Citizen Participation in Urban Planning of Comala,Colima,Mexico-A Secondary Publication

The objective of this study was to determine the degree of citizen participation in urban planning processes in the municipality of Comala,Colima,Mexico to have a broader vision of the citizens and the environment in which they live.An instrument was designed specifically to perform this study and the instrument was validated by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha.The results showed that citizens were highly involved in issues concerning their urban environment,and the main problems of the public spaces were also identified.

Urban Densification Strategy and Land Value in Tijuana,Baja California-The Opinion of Specialists

Specialists can provide opinions regarding the city and land value based on their specialized field.Professionals in these fields are identified as urban planners and valuators,who play a crucial role in the current dynamics of cities.They have a qualified opinion on city issues based on their professional practice in various areas of expertise.This opinion was obtained through the formulation and application of a questionnaire to specialists.Subsequently,the results were analyzed and graphically represented.In the discussion,several findings were found related to the relationship between land value and the urban densification policy established in the urban planning that governs the city of Tijuana,Baja California.The study investigated the behavior of the real estate market in the region and the establishment of a solid strategy toward densification.

Development Mode for the Characteristic Urbanization of Rural Areas in Heilongjiang Province

By analyzing the urbanization of rural areas in Heilongjiang Province,the authors pointed out the existing problems:insufficient motive power of its subjects,low construction level,less prominent functional features of townlets,low scale merits,low efficiency of resource distribution and so on.According to the classification of its townlets,the following 4 modes were given for the rural urbanization of Heilongjiang:A.Motivated by Ecological Construction.It is to solve population problems through ecological migrants,enhance infrastructure construction of townlets,strengthen their capacity of concentrating and absorbing resources;B.Motivated by featured agriculture.It is to develop featured industries on the basis of featured resources with market as the orientation,create a favorable exterior development environment for featured agriculture with the help of government;C.Based on Competitive Tourist Products.It is to coordinate the development of tourism and townlets through scientific planning,design competitive tourism projects and build famous tourism towns;D.Driven by Trade and Processing Industry.It is to promote the capacity of these towns in developing foreign trade,improve policy environment and trade facilities.All these 4 modes are proposed on the basis of actual conditions to give more choices for the characteristic urbanization of its rural areas.

Spatial pattern of urban-rural integration in China and the impact of geography

Urban-rural integration (URI) is a global challenge that is highly related to inequalities, poverty, economic growth, and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Existing research has evaluated the extent of URI and explored its influencing factors, but urban-rural linkages are seldom incorporated in evaluation systems, and geographical factors are rarely recognized as the influencing factors. We construct a URI framework including regional economy, rural development, urban-rural linkage, and urban-rural gap. Based on a dataset consisting of 1,669 counties in China in 2020, we reveal the spatial pattern of URI and find a high correlation between the spatial pattern of URI and the relief degree of land surface (RDLS). Using structural equation modeling, we discover that topography has direct ( − 0.18, p < 0.001) and indirect ( − 0.17, p < 0.001) effects on URI. The indirect negative effects are mediated through the infrastructure, and the combination of localized advantages and modern technical conditions could mitigate the negative impact of topography. Finally, we identify 742 counties as lagging regions in URI, which can be clustered into eight types. Our findings could facilitate policy designing for those countries striving for integrated and sustainable development of urban and rural areas.

Urban Planning and Greening Practices: A Case For Neighborhood Development in a Typical Urban Area

The work that follows aims at evaluating the urban area/neighborhood of“Agios Konstantinos”in the city of Larissa to the extent that it meets the criteria of green-sustainable design,as these criteria are included in the LEED-Neighborhood Development system methodology.The above methodology encodes the most important elements for green urban planning and provides a quantitative assessment system with key axes those of“smart location and connectivity”,“neighborhood model and plan”and“green infrastructure and buildings”.Nowadays,there is an ongoing debate on urban space and its problems.All urban elements,such as those of the built-structured environment,its open-public areas and its natural elements formulate the urban plot.At the same time,human activities greatly affect both the plot and the living conditions.Environmental issues are often disregarded in urban space and its planning process with damaging effects on cities and,more general,on urban settlements.The advantages and benefits of formally including environmental considerations in urban planning and integrating them into urban development strategies are many,as two of the most important“urban problems”are those of the gradual deterioration and degradation of the area’s microclima and the excessive consumption of energy resources.

Overall Planning of Development of Urban-Rural Areas:A Policy Mechanism for Urban-Rural Coordinated Growth

While analyzing overall planning and coordinated development of urban-rural areas, this paper shows that overall planning for the development of urban-rural areas is a requirement for the best use of productive forces. It means the setting up of a policy mechanism for coordinated growth. Recognizing this, the government should set up a way to lead and manage a unified program to increase service and decrease controlling administration power, while safeguarding and fulfilling the farmers' ownership to the means of production.

Exploring the Gaps between Master's Degree Holders' Competence and Industrial Demands in Urban and Rural Planning: Senior Field Engineers' Observations and Reflexive Narrative

This paper examines the academic-work gap in terms of performance reality and performance expectations by expanding on the cultivation model of Master's students in the university context and the most recent industry requirements for talents'competence.The subjects of this paper are Master's degree holders,both academic and professional.The paper examines common issues encountered by enterprise professionals when employing Master's degree holders and proposes a university-enterprise joint cultivation model to achieve win-win outcomes for both higher education institutions and businesses.

Urban Rural Disparity in Westernization Related Cancers and the Increasing Incidence in Parallel with Socioeconomic Development and Urbanization from 2000-2015 among a Rural Chinese Population: An Observational Study

Abstract China used to have great urban rural disparity in socioeconomic development. Since the late 1980s, rapid socioeconomic development and urbanization have been taking place in rural settings. It is epidemiologically established that cancer scale and profile will transit as economy prospers and urbanization develops. However, there are few published studies reporting what changes are undergoing in cancer pattern in Chinese rural settings. Population-based tumor registration data collected by us in urban Shijiazhuang city (available for 2,374,827 people in 2012) and in rural Shexian County (available for 408,995 people since 2000) were used for urban rural comparison of age standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of westernization-related cancers in 2012, and the trend of biennial ASIR of these cancers for 2000-2015 in Shexian County was examined following a decade of rapid socioeconomic development and urbanization. From 1988-2015, the Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDP) in rural Shexian County increased from 860 to 3000 US$, and urbanization rate from 22.4% to 54.8%. The biennial ASIRs of lung, colorectal, gallbladder cancer and leukemia in both sexes, and that of breast, ovary, thyroid, and kidney cancer in women increased significantly from 2000 - 2015. The increase from 2000-2001 to 2014-2015 in man and women for lung cancer was from 15.9 to 34.7 per 105 (P = 0.05) and 9.6 to 16.7 (P = 0.00), for colorectal cancer from 6.6 to 15.9 (P = 0.00) and 4.0 to 11.7 (P = 0.00), for gallbladder cancer from 0.1 to 2.4 (P = 0.00) and 0.3 to 2.7 (P = 0.00), for leukemia from 2.8 to 7.7 (P = 0.00) and 2.3 to 6.2 (P = 0.00);and in women for cancer of breast from 2.8 to 17.3 (P = 0.00), kidney from 0.2 to 2.4 (P = 0.00), ovary from 0.2 to 4.3 (P = 0.00), and thyroid from 0.2 to 4.2 (P = 0.00). Notwithstanding these increases, their ASIRs in 2012 in Shexian County were still significantly lower than that in Shijiazhuang city. Westernization-related cancer is increasing rapidly in rural China. Comprehensive measures are needed to strengthen prevention to ensure sustainable development.

Strengthening Alexandria Urban Fabric by Planning Urbanism’s Walkable Area

Nowadays city of Alexandria has a very wide range of urban development projects;some of them have a major influence on the physical being of the city meanwhile others just have a small interpretation to its characteristics.The rapid growth of Alexandria city in the nineteenth century led to calls for parks to be provided for the health of all categories in the society.This could be seen as an early precedent to highlight the role of open spaces in supporting what we now call sustainable development.This paper proposes an urban development project which makes a replacement of an urban crawl in Alexandria city into unique open space through presenting a comprehensive approach for assessing this suggested project to create a walkability area based on a combination of its conceptual and applicable aspects.Discussion of the sustainability modules to this new urban development project in Alexandria will be accomplished,by the aim of investigating its ability to stand against the future challenges.It is concluded that a significant attribute of urban design achieves continuity of the urban fabric and streets,because this facilitates flows.Wherever movements occur,there is vitality and flow creates eyes on the street producing spontaneous surveillance.Also,comparison of contextual and neighbourhood before and after the project revealed the positive impact of the suggested project either on the built(physical)environment’s or health and social well-being.

Appraisal of typical rural development models during rapid urbanization in the eastern coastal region of China

The sustainability of regional rural development depends on the integrated status and the coordination between rural resources-environment conditions and rural socioeco- nomic development. In this paper a diagnostic indicator system is proposed to appraise four representative rural development models such as Mentougou model, Taicang model, Yueqing model and Qionghai model in the eastern coastal region of China from the integrated perspective of population, resources, environment, and development. In conclusion, the formation and evolution of these diverse rural deveJopment models are the direct response to the very different characteristics in the environment, market demand, and regional culture. These models are common in that their sustainability depends on the scientific guidance of the regional development functional positioning, strong intra-regional interactions, and self-adaptability to the external conditions.

Changing Concepts of City and Urban Planning Practices in Guangzhou(1949–2010): An Approach to Sustainable Urban Development

By focusing on Guangzhou, this paper examines how different concepts of city in terms of urban-rural relationships are shaped in transforming China since 1949, and explores how they influence the way in which urban planning are practiced. In the pre-reform era, the city was defined as a productive space under the system of urban-rural segregation established for securing rapid industrialization. Urban planning was thus only concerned with the development of urban areas. In the 1980 s and 1990 s after the reform, institutional change and economic transformation mobilized the urban-rural linkages. The development of suburban areas was then considered by urban planning, but this consideration was a passive response to urban problems such as population explosion and water resources protection. Since the new millennium, the agenda for sustainable development and problems of uneven urban-rural development have called for the development of urban-rural integration. In this context, the city is conceptualized as a complex of mountain, city, river, farmland and sea, reconstructing the ideology of urban-rural division in defining urban development. Urban planning has therefore sought in an active way to develop a sustainable city embracing rural and natural elements, and to balance economic growth and environmental protection. It is argued that developing the concept of city as a complex of urban and rural elements contributes to the urban planning for sustainable urban development, while this conceptualization relies on the recognition of the integrated urban-rural relationship.

An Empirical Analysis on the Impact of Rural Financial Development on the Income Gap between Urban and Rural Residents in Heilongjiang Province

The high-quality development of rural finance is an important support for rural revitalization.In recent years,it continuously expands the investment in rural finance in Heilongjiang Province,and optimizes the rural financial service system and mechanism.The overall income level and living conditions of rural residents have been significantly improved,but there still exists income gap between urban and rural residents.Therefore,based on analyzing and combing current situation and problems of rural financial development and urban-rural income gap in Heilongjiang Province,multiple linear regression model is used to study the impact of rural financial development on the income gap between urban and rural residents in Heilongjiang Province.The research results show that the scale of rural financial development in Heilongjiang Province will enlarge the income gap between urban and rural residents,while rural financial development efficiency and urbanization level reduce income gap between urban and rural residents in Heilongjiang Province.Based on the above conclusions,some policy suggestions to promote the equalization of urban and rural income in Heilongjiang Province are puts forward in this paper.

Training Mode of Applied Talents in Urban and Rural Planning Major

Facing the development and change of contemporary urban and rural planning discipline and social talent demand,it is imperative to develop the talent training of urban and rural planning major.Based on the teaching platform,this study constructed a perfect talent training mode,implemented modular teaching,took the occupation as the guidance,carried out the application-oriented talent training,and delivered high-quality professionals to the society.