ABSTRACT
The urban-rural interface, variously known as the urban fringe, the rurban zone, the urban field, the peri-urban area or the urban periphery, performs an important role in the urbanization process of a country. Since peri-urban areas are involved in a process of transition, they cannot be precisely defined spatially. However, it is not difficult to identify a set of common characteristics specific to these areas. They are situated within the metropolitan areas of a country but often outside the formal urban boundaries (of municipalities and urban councils) and urban jurisdictions. Describing the peri-urban area of Metropolitan Bangkok, Webster (2004) identifies it as an area beyond suburbia where industrialization is occurring rapidly, yet agriculture and other rural activities coexist with the modern economy. Being a zone in transition, both agricultural and non-agricultural activities can be found in these areas. However, the agricultural and rural characteristics are gradually being replaced by urban landscapes with attendant changes in people’s lifestyles. Demographically, this is a fast-growing area. The continuous inflow of people from both the urban core and the rural hinterland has resulted in a complex social fabric.
