Understanding rural-urban transitions in the Global South through Peri-Urban Turbulence

Hutchings, Paul, Willcock, Simon, Lynch, Kenneth ORCID: 0000-0002-5296-2864, Bundhoo, Dilshaad ORCID: 0000-0003-0262-9868, Brewer, Tim, Cooper, Sarah, Keech, Daniel ORCID: 0000-0003-4112-9030, Mekala, Sneha, Mishra, Prajna Paramita, Parker, Alison, Shackleton, Charlie, Venkatesh, Kongala, Vicario, Dolores Rey and Welivita, Indunee (2022) Understanding rural-urban transitions in the Global South through Peri-Urban Turbulence. Nature Sustainability. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00920-w

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Abstract

Much previous research has problematised the use of a binary urban-rural distinction to describe human settlement patterns in and around cities. Peri-urban zones, on the edge of urban settlements, are significant both in sheer magnitude of human population and in terms of being home to vulnerable populations with high rates of poverty. This paper presents a framework that conceptualises rural25 urban transition through the prism of shifts in natural, engineered and institutional infrastructure, in order to explain the processes of rapid change and the dip in service provision often found in peri-urban areas in the Global South. We draw on examples related to the provision of water and sanitation to illustrate the theory and discuss its implications for future research on the peri-urban. A research agenda is set out that emphasises the importance of studying early warning signs of service dips using systems theory concepts such as flickering and critical slowing down. Through such approaches, research can better predict and explain what we call peri-urban turbulence and inform the development of mitigation strategies to reduce the vulnerabilities that peri-urban residents too often face during periods of rural-urban transition.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Infrastructure; Peri-urban; Rural; Services; Urban expansion; Urbanisation
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human geography. Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education and Science
Research Priority Areas:	Place, Environment and Community
Depositing User:	Susan Turner
Date Deposited:	07 Jul 2022 08:40
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2023 15:20
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/11281

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