Establishing A Sustainable Community Through Urban and Rural Fusion

Abstract

Urban and rural fusion has been a main subject of urban planning discussed for over 100 years. Recently it is drawing attention from the viewpoint of "sustainable cities" in particular. In Japan, along with consolidation of municipalities, local administrations including broad rural areas are emerging one after another. This should be regarded as a good opportunity to reestablish bioresource-circulating spheres through creating preferable landscapes and ecological networks as well as promoting the movement toward local production for local consumption. This concept of the urban and rural fusion might contribute to establishing sustainable urban communities in Asia.