The challenge of multi-functional land use in rural areas

Abstract

The relationship between cities and rural areas is subject to continual change. This was true in the past, but particularly in the last two centuries. The latter period showed a mass movement towards the cities in Western countries followed by the rest of the world, especially by the end of the century. Based on figures from the World Resource Institute, Weier (2000) concluded that in the year 2000 50% of the world’s population lived in urban areas, while a decade ago it was only one-third. He expects that by 2010 this proportion will have increased to two-thirds. This migration to cities resulted in the expansion of cities into the surrounding rural areas