Reflections on Habitat and Rurality at Metropolitan Edges

Abstract

Over the past decade, important local progress has been observed in policies aimed at rural land-use planning, but settlements at metropolitan edges still show diffuse growth patterns, exerting pressure on protected and productive areas to make way for suburbanization and urbanization — the result of unregulated market dynamics in which urban rents and real estate speculation displace rural rents and undermine conservation objectives. Developing rural habitat at the urban-metropolitan frontier requires reassessing territorial policies aimed at cities from the standpoint of multifunctional rurality, to ensure that their diverse and complex edges act as buffer and transition zones. This means guaranteeing the habitability of the territory, the quality of environments and public spaces, and access to facilities, mobility infrastructure, and public services. This requires questioning how we address problems and needs in urban-regional contexts, and recognizing the interdependence between land-use planning policies and sector policies aimed at urban and rural habitat.