Publication | Open Access
Environmental planning and management of the peri-urban interface: perspectives on an emerging field
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2003
Year
Spatial DevelopmentUrban FeaturesSmart CityUrban DevelopmentEnvironmental PlanningUrban ScienceSocial SciencesSpecific EnvironmentSpatial PlanningUrban LandPeri-urban InterfaceGlobal Urban PlanningUrban StudiesUrban EnvironmentSustainable CitiesDesignUrban PlanningUrban ServicesUrban GeographyComparative Urban PlanningPhysical PlanningPlanning PracticeCommunity PlanningRegional PlanningIndustrial PlanningSuburban Planning
There is growing recognition that rural and urban features increasingly co‑exist within cities and beyond their limits, and that the traditional urban–rural dichotomy is inadequate for addressing environmental and developmental change in peri‑urban areas. The paper argues that environmental planning and management of the peri‑urban interface must be based on a new approach tailored to its specific environmental, social, economic, and institutional characteristics, rather than simply extrapolating rural or urban tools. The authors outline a set of environmental planning and management approaches designed for the peri‑urban interface, addressing its unique challenges and proposing implementation strategies. They find that the peri‑urban interface’s unique characteristics necessitate specialized planning methods, identifying key challenges and viable implementation options.
Although there is no consensus on the definition of the peri-urban interface, there is growing recognition among development professionals and institutions that rural and urban features tend increasingly to co-exist within cities and beyond their limits. There is also recognition that the urban–rural dichotomy that is deeply ingrained in planning systems is inadequate for dealing with processes of environmental and developmental change in the peri-urban context. This paper argues that environmental planning and management of the peri-urban interface cannot simply be based on the extrapolation of planning approaches and tools applied in rural and urban areas. Instead, it needs to be based on the construction of an approach that responds to the specific environment, social, economic and institutional aspects of the peri-urban interface. The paper also outlines approaches to environmental planning and management in the peri-urban interface, examining its specificity in terms of both the challenges faced and possible approaches for implementation.