Urban-Rural Assembly (URA)

Managing inclusive transformation-to-sustainability processes at the urban-rural interface of the Huangyan-Taizhou region in China through the development of new strategic governance tools and the implementation of exemplary pilot projects as catalysts for regional value chains

Research Issue

Most urban-oriented research and policy design in China is devoted to new mega cities and vast urban concentrations. But urbanisation processes across the country are much more complex and ambiguous, affecting both urban centres and the former rural countryside.

Goal

The project aims to build a better understanding of the urban-rural constellation and interdependencies that are emerging along China's vast urbanisation corridors, and which can no longer be described through traditional binaries of 'urban' and 'rural'. The region Huangyan-Taizhou, part of the Chinese 'prefectural-level city' Taizhou, will be examined as an exemplary case study and learning context: a rapidly urbanising region where diverse and seemingly contradictory transformation processes take place simultaneously. Goal is to develop new stakeholder oriented planning-governance instruments. IOER part focuses on the ecosystem services dynamics in the urban rural gradient.

Methodology

With GIS technology we will create landscape and ecosystem services indicators along the urban-rural gradient indicating the ecosystem services dynamics affected by urbanization.

Intended Results

In the main project phase a common spatial vision, called 'Raumbild', for the region will be developed and ecosystem services assessments will be carried out in three selected urban laboratories, on the basis of which concrete experimental, urban planning changes will be tested.

The Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development is jointly funded by the federal government and the federal states.

FS Sachsen

This measure is co-financed by tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament.