Empirical study on the contribution of infrastructure to the coordinated development between urban and rural areas: Case study on country road projects

Abstract

This paper makes an empirical study using the data from projects of Chongqing Urban-Rural Infrastructure Coordination Demonstration Program. The results of the study indicate that the contribution of infrastructures to urban-rural coordination increases with the growing equity of investment, and infrastructure plays a significant role in closing the urban-rural gap and gradually achieving the urban-rural coordination. Therefore, conclusion is made that the infrastructure investment between town and country should be balanced in a manner that is "equity-oriented and efficiency-emphasized" in order to attain the strategic goal of urban-rural coordination and promote social justice. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.