A Conceptual Framework to Understand the Dynamics of Rural–Urban Linkages for Rural Flood Vulnerability

Ali Jamshed, Joern Birkmann, Daniel Feldmeyer and Irfan Ahmad Rana
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Ali Jamshed: Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS), University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Joern Birkmann: Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS), University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Daniel Feldmeyer: Institute of Spatial and Regional Planning (IREUS), University of Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Irfan Ahmad Rana: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE) National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), 44000 Islamabad, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: Rural areas are highly vulnerable to floods due to limited social, economic, and physical resources. Understanding rural vulnerability is vital for developing effective disaster risk reduction strategies. Even though rural areas and cities are intrinsically linked, rural vulnerability was assessed without considering its relation to cities. Numerous theoretical frameworks on systemizing and assessing vulnerability were developed with varying level of scope and depth in terms of scale, dimensions, and components. Nevertheless, these frameworks did not explicitly mention the impact of flood or other hazards on the linkages between spatial units i.e., rural and urban. This study aims to understand and conceptualize the rural vulnerability with respect to the dynamics of rural–urban linkages in the case of flood events. To do so, current literature on rural–urban linkages, vulnerability, as well as factors that influence them were critically reviewed. Taking into account the main elements of rural–urban linkages (flow of people, information, finances, goods and services), components of vulnerability (exposure, susceptibility, and capacity), and factors (social, economic, institutional, infrastructural, spatial, and environmental), a unified framework is proposed. The framework underscores that the role of rural–urban linkages is essential to fully understand rural flood vulnerability. Moreover, the framework highlights the role of spatial factors—city size and proximity to the city—as crucial to comprehend rural vulnerability. This framework can be used as a tool for understanding multifaceted rural vulnerability for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction considering spatial development perspective. In this context, empirical investigations can be made to validate the proposed framework and policies can be introduced accordingly. Overall, the proposed framework can help recognize concepts and links of vulnerability, rural–urban dependencies, and rural development dynamics.

Keywords: disaster risk; holistic approach; rural–urban relationships; regional development; vulnerability dynamics; rural flooding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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