A globally sustainable land use and urbanisation: Concepts and strategies for a globally sustainable land use in the context of urbanisation – integrated approaches to a viable linkage of sustainable urban and rural development

The project developes integrated approaches for a viable relationship between rural and urban areas and demonstrates linkage points to global sustainable land use in the context of urbanisation. It also contributes to overcoming "silo thinking" with an integrated and mediating approach, bringing together relevant sectoral policy proposals on different levels, and focussing the often less regarded rural areas more strongly in the rural-urban-discourse.

The project starts with a review of the current state of information on the rural-urban nexus. Specifically, this included investigating existing development concepts for insights for sustainable rural-urban planning; the analysis of the resource metabolism between cities and surrounding rural areas; as well as an examination of the linkages between cities and surrounding areas in regard to food production and consumption.

Alongside a general literature review, the project team collects and analyses concrete examples of a successful rural-urban nexus. In parallel, political processes are investigated, such as the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the "New Urban Agenda" as outcome document of the Habitat III Conference in 2016. The project identifies opportunities for further developing these processes in order to strengthen sustainable rural-urban linkages. Building on this work, the team develops and discusses an overarching theoretical concept of a sustainable rural-urban nexus with experts, stakeholders, and practitioners. Finally, conclusions and recommended actions are formulated for a sustainable rural-urban nexus, identifying options for action in German policy and on the European and international levels.