Rurbanization—Making the City Greener: Young Citizen Implication and Future Actions

Abstract

City life has become the norm for most of the global population and building sustainable cities is a growing trend, together with an increased focus on healthier lifestyles in urban settings. Given this framework, the concept of ‘rurbanization’ is gaining momentum as more and more people are interested in bringing natural green spaces within the urban setting. For this purpose, a research (online survey on a sample of 500 respondents) was developed to discover youths’ perceptions on what a sustainable city means, their perspectives on the urbanization problems, and willingness to take action towards improving the green aspects of their urban life. Results revealed that sustainable life perception vary a lot across the young generation, but opinions on what are the city life issues tend to converge to similar points, such as air quality, disconnection with nature, greenhouse effect, urban heat islands, and water quality. When it comes to rurbanization solutions for a greener urban life, young people lean more towards individual solutions, be it an easy and short-term one, such as endowing their home with more green plants, or a more drastic one, such as moving altogether from the city area towards greener locations. Results were also used in designing a conceptual model for actions towards rurbanization.

Negotiating Land in Rurban Bengaluru, South India

“…In this sense, rurbanization is often seen as traditional structures being gradually or partially penetrated by city-related modernization trends in the rural context, or, vice versa, the transfer of rural practices into an urban context. This may result in a mix of building materials and typologies in villages [23] or the reinterpretation of the use of open space in cities for greening and urban agriculture [24,25]. It can also affect the social structure in villages as a result of migration, resulting in pressure on agricultural practices, the upward social mobility of migrants returning from temporary occupation abroad, and the changing social fabric of the rural population or of tourism [26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Assessment of the State of the Landscaping System in the City of Aktobe, the Republic of Kazakhstan under Conditions of Man-Made Load Using Remote Sensing

“…leads to the deterioration of the city's environmental condition and the health of city residents [6]. Public urban green spaces such as urban parks are usually the most important component of urban green space [7]. They are mainly controlled by state organizations and should be available to the public [8].…”

Assessment of the State of the Landscaping System in the City of Aktobe, the Republic of Kazakhstan, under Conditions of Man-Made Load Using Remote Sensing

“…Atmospheric pollution, soil degradation, mechanical damage to land, increased building density, etc., leads to the deterioration of the city's environmental condition and the health of city residents [6]. Public urban green spaces, such as urban parks, are usually the most important component of urban green spaces [7]. They are mainly controlled by state organizations and should be available to the public [8].…”