Urban Ecology Blog Post #3

Introduction

As the human population continues to grow, more and more areas are becoming urban. Urban areas aren't always the best for the environment when compared to rural areas, but yet sometimes the land in rural areas is needed just for housing alone. So what's the solution? The solution may just be this new idea of rurbanization, the combining of rural and urban areas. In my post today, we'll talk about what rurbanity is, why it's beneficial, and how to make areas more rurban.

What Does Rurban/Rurbanity Mean?

The word rurban is the words rural and urban combined ("What is rurbanization?," 2019). Rurbanity or "rurbanization" is the process of merging urban areas and rural areas, and often incorporates components of rurality into urban areas. What they incorporate from rural into urban areas may include things like green spaces, gardens, and orchards ("What is rurbanization?," 2019). 

(example of a rurban area)

Why Is Rurbanity Beneficial? 

Urbanization seems to be one of the major challenges in our time, but yet may be the key to sustainable development ("Rurbanity: A concept for the interdisciplinary study of rural–urban transformation," 2023). More areas are becoming urban and urban and rural areas are already more interdependent than we think ("Rurbanity: A concept for the interdisciplinary study of rural–urban transformation," 2023). We all know that there are many disadvantages to urban areas, but we can make urban areas better and more sustainable by combining rural attributes into urban areas ("Rurbanity: A concept for the interdisciplinary study of rural–urban transformation," 2023).  Rurban areas would enhance the quality of life by providing access to nature, clean air, and open spaces. It would also create a stronger sense of community and neighborly support, as well as provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and activity lifestyles. 

How To Make Urban Areas More Rurban

You can make urban areas more rurban by planting more gardens, having green roofs, and by adding more greenspaces (Nast, 2022). You can also increase rurbanization by adding "vertical forests," which is just adding more greenery and vegetation to architecture, by adding miniature urban forests, and by turning areas no longer being used into parks, greenspaces, etc. ("7 innovative projects making cities more sustainable," 2020). 

(example of a vertical forest)

Conclusion 

In summary, rurban just means rural and urban combined, and rurbanization is the process of merging urban and rural areas by adding rural attributes to urban areas. Making urban areas more rural may make them more sustainable, and would have many benefits such as enhancing the quality of life by providing access to nature, clean air, and open spaces. It would also create a stronger sense of community and neighborly support, as well as provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and activity lifestyles. To make urban areas more rurban, you can plant gardens, have green roofs, and add greenspaces. You could also increase rurbanization by adding vertical forests, miniature urban forests, and by repurposing no longer used spaces for things like parks or greenspaces. 

References

    7 innovative projects making cities more sustainable. (2020, September 4). World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/cities-sustainability-innovation-global-goals/

    Nast, C. (2022, September 8). It’s time to make cities more rural. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/why-its-time-to-make-cities-more-rural/

    Rurbanity: A concept for the interdisciplinary study of rural–urban transformation. (2023, May 20). PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10199291/#Sec14title

    What is rurbanisation? (2019, June 5). Rurban Revolution. https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/rurbanrevolution/what-is-rurbanisation/