Between Rural and the Inner Urban Areas

Abstract

This article aims to discuss regional inequalities, especially in less dynamic spaces, observing the new changes in the territory, which have been evidencing a debate about the countryside-city relationship. In this transitional space (urban-rural), various uses of the territory were observed, such as the emergence of new forms of housing that are confused with spaces with rural features, settled in the vicinity or even alongside small towns. In the process of urban expansion, rural areas are being invaded by the city, giving rise to new spatial arrangements, which do not completely remove the old forms and functions, but provoke a mixture of senses and uses, leading to multiple territorialities. Thus, this paper adopts the role of provoking a theoretical revision about the territorial approach, based on urban and rural spaces.

The Formation of the Urban–Rural Fringe Space in the San Cayetano Area: The Transformation of a Peripheral Urban Landscape in Ecuador

“…In this dynamic, the rural environment acquires a more urban character in physical, economic, and social terms [1]. This dividing line between the rural and the urban entails the attributes that one has concerning the other, the urban being allusive to densely populated areas [2] characterized by the presence of buildings, public services, advanced infrastructures, and high population density. In contrast, rural areas are less developed, presenting low population density, predominantly agricultural activities, and less infrastructure.…”