A study on institutional imbalances of the urban–rural governance framework in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, India

Understanding the integration process of urban agglomeration is essential for sustainable regional development and urban planning. However, few studies have analyzed the spatial integration patterns of metropolitan regions according to the impacts of landscape ecology along rail transit corridors. This study performed a comprehensive inter-city gradient analysis using landscape metrics and radar charts in order to determine the integration characteristics of an urban agglomeration. Specifically, we analyzed the evolution of spatial heterogeneity and functional landscapes along gradient transects in the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan (CZT) metropolitan region during the period of 1995–2015. Four landscape functional zones (urban center, urban area, urban–rural fringe, and green core) were identified based on a cluster analysis of landscape composition, connectivity, and fragmentation. The landscape metric NP/LPI (number of patches/largest patch index) was proposed to identify the urban–rural fringe, which revealed that the CZT region exhibited a more aggregated form, characterized by a single-core, continuous development, and the compression of green space. The integration of cities has resulted in continued compression and fragmentation of ecological space. Therefore, strategies for controlling urban expansion should be adopted for sustainable urban development. The proposed method can be used to quantify the integration characteristics of urban agglomerations, providing scientific support for urban landscape planning.

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Anthropogenic and climatic shaping of soil nitrogen properties across urban-rural-natural forests in the Beijing metropolitan region

Geoderma ◽

10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115524 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 406 ◽

pp. 115524

Author(s):

Enzai Du ◽

Nan Xia ◽

Yang Tang ◽

Zhaodi Guo ◽

Yuying Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Urban Rural

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Australian Politics in Local Government

The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198805465.013.35 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jacob Deem

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Regional Governance ◽

Capital Cities ◽

Individual Level ◽

Political Views ◽

Rural Governance ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Regional Interests ◽

Crucial Part

The majority of Australians live in capital cities, and the urban–rural divide represents one of the most deeply ingrained and enduring cleavages in Australian society. Regional governance is therefore a crucial part of place-making in Australian politics. This chapter highlights the strengths and challenges for local government in Australia, paying particular attention to regional and rural governance. It does so from two perspectives. The first is a top-down focus on the institutional arrangements that can either privilege or marginalize regional interests, and includes an examination of the constitutional, electoral, and executive forces that affect decision-making for these areas. The second perspective is bottom-up, and considers Australian citizens’ identification with, and sense of belonging to, regional areas. It draws on insights from recent survey data to analyse individual-level identities and their influence on political views, and also considers the broader contribution of the outback and the ‘bushman’ as important (if challenged) features of Australian national identity and popular rhetoric, which is accessible to both regional and metropolitan residents.

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Local alliances in rural urbanization: Land transfer in contemporary China

China Information ◽

10.1177/0920203x19865978 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 168-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ray Yep

Keyword(s):

Local Governments ◽

Land Development ◽

Central Feature ◽

Rural Urbanization ◽

High Rise ◽

Grass Roots ◽

Land Transfer ◽

Rural Governance ◽

Urban Rural ◽

Long Term Impact

The relocation of peasants to high-rise buildings is the latest strategy deployed to feed the insatiable hunger for land in China. To free up more land for construction, Chinese peasants are encouraged to abandon their traditional homes and move into newly built high-rise modern apartments. A central feature of this distinctive form of rural urbanization is the transferability of land development rights across the rural–urban divide. Like most policy initiatives in Chinese economic reforms, variations and improvisation in implementation are found across local administrations. Such local disparities carry major implications for rural governance. This article compares and evaluates the experience of local governments in Chongqing and Nantong. Local governments in these two localities face both opportunities and constraints in integrated urban–rural development, a situation which has contributed to contrasting relocation patterns, and consequently variations in intergovernmental relationships at local levels. Enjoying the privilege of experimenting with the ‘land bill’ (地票) system, local governments in Chongqing have more leeway to stake their claims and are thus in a better position to maintain their authority. In the Nantong case, however, the more hands-on approach of the prefecture deprives lower administrative levels of flexibility to pursue their interests. This contrast in the policy process leads to different patterns of collaboration between levels of government at the grass roots in the two localities, which may also have a long-term impact on the exercise of authority at the community level.

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Integrating land development size, pattern, and density to identify urban–rural fringe in a metropolitan region

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-020-01082-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (9) ◽

pp. 2045-2059

Author(s):

Jian Peng ◽

Qinghua Liu ◽

Thomas Blaschke ◽

Zimo Zhang ◽

Yanxu Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Development ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Urban Rural

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Acceleration of Soil Erosion by Different Land Uses in Arid Lands above 10Be Natural Background Rates: Case Study in the Sonoran Desert, USA

Land ◽

10.3390/land10080834 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 834

Author(s):

Ara Jeong ◽

Ronald I. Dorn ◽

Yeong-Bae Seong ◽

Byung-Yong Yu

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Sonoran Desert ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Arid Lands ◽

Metropolitan Region ◽

Natural Background ◽

Sediment Yields ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

Denudation Rates ◽

Urban Rural

Land use changes often lead to soil erosion, land degradation, and environmental deterioration. However, little is known about just how much humans accelerate erosion compared to natural background rates in non-agricultural settings, despite its importance to knowing the magnitude of soil degradation. The lack of understanding of anthropogenic acceleration is especially true for arid regions. Thus, we used 10Be catchment averaged denudation rates (CADRs) to obtain natural rates of soil erosion in and around the Phoenix metropolitan region, Arizona, United States. We then measured the acceleration of soil erosion by grazing, wildfire, and urban construction by comparing CADRs to erosion rates for the same watersheds, finding that: (i) grazing sometimes can increase sediment yields by up to 2.3–2.6x, (ii) human-set wildfires increased sediment yields by up to 9.7–10.4x, (iii) after some post-fire vegetation recovered, sediment yield was then up to 4.2–4.5x the background yield, (iv) construction increased sediment yields by up to 5.0–5.6x, and (v) the sealing of urban surfaces led to one-tenth to one-half of the background sediment yields. The acceleration of erosion at the urban–rural interface in arid lands highlights the need for sustainable management of arid-region soils.

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