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Sustainable Urbanization in Rural Regions
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Sustainable Urbanization in Rural Regions

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 11192

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Torben Birch-Thomsen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
Interests: farming systems; natural resource management; land use/land cover change; livelihood strategies; rural–urban linkages
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jytte Agergaard

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Nørregade 10, 1165 København, Denmark
Interests: human mobility and migration dynamics; rural–urban transformations; urbanization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is urbanizing, and much future urbanization is projected to take place in Africa and Asia determined by economic, demographic, and environmental transformations at local, national, and global scales. Sustainable urbanization and urban growth have thus become issues of high importance on the international research and policy agendas (e.g., SDG 11). Much attention has been given to the growth of larger cities and the challenges of megacity growth, while urbanization and urban agglomerations in rural regions outside the realms of larger cities and city regions have attracted less attention. The overall aim of this Special Issue is to document and explore how urbanization in rural regions (‘rural urbanization’) of Africa and Asia progress, and to examine how small urban centers can support sustainable development, keeping in mind that urbanizing spaces along the rural–urban continuum often occur in transitional governance systems (from rural to urban). Papers could focus on one or more of the following topics: (1) multilocal livelihood strategies and the role of urban migrants/sojourners that return and/or remit to their home and stimulate urbanization of rural regions; (2) rural transformations, where dynamics in agricultural economies are nurtured by the provision services in local towns, which further stimulates nonfarm investments and occupations in the small urban centers; (3) small towns as places of attraction for aspiring urbanites and/or for households and individuals seeking access to services and security; and (4) small towns as locations for climate change adaptation of rural households affected by environmental unpredictability and hazards. These topics are not exclusive, though, and contributions might be either empirically or conceptually founded. Overall, we invite contributions that will enable and facilitate a dialogue across Africa and Asia.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Torben Birch-Thomsen
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jytte Agergaard
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable urbanization
  • rural urbanization
  • livelihoods
  • rural–urban governance

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 422 KiB  
Article
Responding to Climate Change in Small and Intermediate Cities: Comparative Policy Perspectives from India and South Africa
by David Simon, Yutika Vora, Tarun Sharma and Warren Smit
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2382; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042382 - 23 Feb 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2782
Abstract
Remarkably little is known about how small and intermediate urban centres tackle their various sustainability challenges, particularly climate and broader environmental change. Accordingly, we address this in the very different contexts of India and South Africa. We conceptualise the small and intermediate towns, [...] Read more.
Remarkably little is known about how small and intermediate urban centres tackle their various sustainability challenges, particularly climate and broader environmental change. Accordingly, we address this in the very different contexts of India and South Africa. We conceptualise the small and intermediate towns, and the policy challenges and priorities for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate/environmental change that can enable transformative adaptations to changing conditions. Central issues are the divisions of powers, responsibilities and the fiscal capacity and independence of local authorities within the respective countries’ multi-level policy and governance frameworks. In India, various functions have been constitutionally devolved to city governments to enable them to govern themselves, while more strategic ones lie at state level. In South Africa, the divisions of power and responsibility vary by city size category. We compare the relevant city government functions in each country and how they can enable/disable policy responses to climate change. The relationship between their sustainable development strategies, plans, budgets, and actions are assessed and illustrated with particular reference to Thiruvananthapuram, Shimla and Bhubaneswar in India and Drakenstein, George and Stellenbosch in South Africa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urbanization in Rural Regions)
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15 pages, 505 KiB  
Article
Boomtown Urbanization and Rural-Urban Transformation in Mining and Conflict Regions in Angola, the DRC and Zambia
by Cristina Udelsmann Rodrigues, Patience Mususa, Karen Büscher and Jeroen Cuvelier
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2285; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042285 - 20 Feb 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3440
Abstract
Starting from temporary settlements turning into permanent urban centers, this paper discusses the transformations taking place through the process of so-called ‘boomtown’ urbanization in Central and Southern Africa. Based on data collected in Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the paper [...] Read more.
Starting from temporary settlements turning into permanent urban centers, this paper discusses the transformations taking place through the process of so-called ‘boomtown’ urbanization in Central and Southern Africa. Based on data collected in Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the paper identifies the different conditions for migration and settlement and the complex socio-economic, spatial, as well as political transformations produced by the fast growth and expansion of boomtowns. Different historical and contemporary processes shape boomtown urbanization in Africa, from colonial territorial governance to large- and small-scale mining or dynamics of violence and forced displacement. As centers of attraction, opportunities, diversified livelihoods and cultures for aspiring urbanities, boomtowns represent an interesting site from which to investigate rural-urban transformation in a context of resource extraction and conflict/post conflict governance. They equally represent potential catalyzing sites for growth, development and stability, hence deserving not only more academic but also policy attention. Based on the authors’ long-term field experience in the countries under study, the analysis draws on ethnographic fieldwork data collected through observations as well as interviews and focus group discussions with key actors involved in the everyday shaping of boomtown urbanism. The findings point to discernible patterns of boomtown consolidation across these adjacent countries, which are a result of combinations of types of migration, migrants’ agency and the governance structures, with clear implications for urban policy for both makeshift and consolidating towns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urbanization in Rural Regions)
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21 pages, 8488 KiB  
Article
Between Village and Town: Small-Town Urbanism in Sub-Saharan Africa
by Jytte Agergaard, Susanne Kirkegaard and Torben Birch-Thomsen
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1417; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031417 - 29 Jan 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4295
Abstract
In the next twenty years, urban populations in Africa are expected to double, while urban land cover could triple. An often-overlooked dimension of this urban transformation is the growth of small towns and medium-sized cities. In this paper, we explore the ways in [...] Read more.
In the next twenty years, urban populations in Africa are expected to double, while urban land cover could triple. An often-overlooked dimension of this urban transformation is the growth of small towns and medium-sized cities. In this paper, we explore the ways in which small towns are straddling rural and urban life, and consider how insights into this in-betweenness can contribute to our understanding of Africa’s urban transformation. In particular, we examine the ways in which urbanism is produced and expressed in places where urban living is emerging but the administrative label for such locations is still ‘village’. For this purpose, we draw on case-study material from two small towns in Tanzania, comprising both qualitative and quantitative data, including analyses of photographs and maps collected in 2010–2018. First, we explore the dwindling role of agriculture and the importance of farming, businesses and services for the diversification of livelihoods. However, income diversification varies substantially among population groups, depending on economic and migrant status, gender, and age. Second, we show the ways in which institutions, buildings, and transport infrastructure display the material dimensions of urbanism, and how urbanism is planned and aspired to. Third, we describe how well-established middle-aged households, independent women (some of whom are mothers), and young people, mostly living in single-person households, explain their visions and values of the ways in which urbanism is expressed in small towns. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of this urban life-in-becoming of small towns for urban planning, emphasizing the importance of the development of inclusive local governance. Ultimately, we argue that our study establishes an important starting point for further explorations of the role of the simultaneous production and expression of urbanism in small town urbanization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Urbanization in Rural Regions)
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