ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to sketch the outlines of regional planning framework that incorporates rural—urban linkages and can adjust to a variety of local situations. It focuses on rural—urban relations and argues the case for viewing rural and urban development as being interdependent. Such a strategy misses numerous opportunities for developing a more dispersed pattern of regional development via a number of smaller-scale rural—urban linkages and regional networks. The chapter examines the question of rural—urban linkages into a larger regional network framework that advocates the organization of planning around regional networks of rural and urban linkages. It illustrates the regional network model through examples of types of situations in Indonesia. Most analyses of growth centres in rural development assume the perspective of the city looking outward to its hinterland. Rural—urban linkages are highly selective in terms of access to urban functions and timing and duration of stays in urban areas. The chapter concludes with an agenda for policy research.
