- Rural-Urban Interlink and the Sustainability of Urban Centers in Kenya: A case of Malaba Town    click here to open paper content137 kb
by    Mulongo, Leonard Simiyu & Erute, Boniface Ebkapten & Kerre, Patrick Maelo | lmulongo@yahoo.com   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
Introduction of rural-urban interlink;
the effects of planning strategies on the development of rural and urban areas will be discussed and appropriate measures for developing countries suggested.
Abstract
Development planning strategies that have been adopted in many developing countries have been geared towards separatism; either pro-Rural or pro-Urban. This instead has opened the gap further between these two areas, without examining the importance of the concealed link. Urban areas cannot grow in isolation, but require rural areas and other components of political, socio-economic and environmental factors to provide the missing link. This will help mitigate on the Push and Pull factors that are synonymous with the development of Rural and Urban areas. Spatial Planning based on urban hierarchy has increased dualism and reinforced neoclassical economic system. Problems like Rural – Urban migration, unemployment, underemployment, inadequate housing, utilities, informal settlements, environmental degradation and regional disparities of initial growth functions could not sustain the pressures that resulted.
Development planning has remained reactive rather than proactive, urban development which would normally follow the planning – servicing - Building – Occupation model have been largely reversed to occupational – building - servicing - Planning model especially in small towns like Malaba and their surrounding rural neighborhoods.
This paper seeks to examine the effects of rural – urban interlink on sustainability of urban areas, assess the effects of the linkages on the sustainability of urban areas, examine the obstacles faced in sustainability of urban areas and to suggest appropriate ways of enhancing sustainability of urban areas through rural – urban interlink.
The study will be based on Malaba town, located at the Kenya - Uganda border and constitutes existing problems and challenges currently being experienced in the town.
This paper is vital to development practitioners and policy makers in developing countries as it will help unfold the various gaps in planning processes amongst developing nations.
Keywords
RURAL-URBAN INTERLINK,SUSTAINABILITY
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