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Introduction: Globally around 41 million people each year die due to Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which is nearly 74% of all deaths. Objectives: (1) To assess the demographic & health profile of community participants. (2) To assess the medication status of noncommunicable diseases among the community. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted during January to April 2024 among community people. Among the 250 houses of urban and rural areas, total 583 people were selected for the study after informed consent. Houses were identified during family health survey. Results: Out of 583 people, 266, 45% were males and the females were 317, 55%. Majority (213, 37%) of people were belongs to ≥ 65 year age group. Majority (39%) were studied up to the primary level. Around 45% of participants had history of tobacco consumption. Conclusions: Significant family history of hypertension, CVD and renal diseases was noted among males. Significant gender wise difference were noted for the on NCD medication duration of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal comfort studies in India are very much at an emerging stage. According to Indian codes, in the summer, the comfortable temperature range for residential buildings is 23–26 °C. The recommended Indian residential comfort range does not consider the impact of India's enormous cultural and geographical heterogeneity. Additionally, there seems to be very little effort to conduct a thermal comfort field survey in India's rural regions. In recent years, houses in rural India have been converted from kutcha (mud houses) to pucca (concrete houses). This work is aimed at proposing an adaptive thermal comfort model for the premonsoon season in the rural area of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. The model was achieved using a field study survey conducted in 80 rural area houses in the months of June and July. Regression analysis, the Griffiths method, and the Fanger method have been adopted to analyze thermal comfort. Based on the regression analysis, the comfort band (voting −1 to +1) is established in the range of 28.39 °C to 32.31 °C, with 30.30 °C as the neutral temperature. The study has been carried out to assess the influence of gender, age, controls, and fan usage on thermal comfort perception in rural households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to improve farmers' satisfaction and happiness to facilitate rural revitalization. The evaluation of rural construction in Yunnan Province in 2023 identified typical county rural areas in the province as a suitable sample for the purposes of this study. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to obtain the evaluation data. A logistic model was employed to analyze the residential satisfaction of farmers and the factors influencing it. Additionally, the problems in urgent need of improvement in the study area were analyzed, and corresponding strategies were proposed. The findings indicated that the enhancement of rural housing is a crucial aspect, yet the overall level of residential satisfaction remains relatively low. The satisfaction of rural residents with their residences is influenced by a few factors, including the characteristics of their housing, the availability of supporting facilities, the quality of their living environment, the provision of social services, and other variables. Age and family income are significant factors affecting the satisfaction of farmers' residences. In addition, the structure and facilities of the house and the quality of the living environment are also important factors. Based on these findings, five suggestions are proposed to improve the satisfaction of rural residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The amount of separately collected bio-waste, its composition and selected properties are subject to seasonal variations. • Food waste is the main component of bio-waste from each tested site. • Substantial part of contaminants (e.g. plastics, glass) was found in the waste stream. • Waste collected in containers in multi-family housing area the most contaminated. • Heavy metals content of tested samples varied, both in terms of location and season. The progress of civilisation contributes, among other things, to an increase in the mass of waste produced in households. A significant part of it is bio-waste (about 31% in Poland). It is generally agreed that bio-waste is a suitable substrate for valorisation through fermentation with biogas production. Designing new and optimising existing facilities, however, requires precise data on the composition of bio-waste and its properties, which is challenging due to seasonal variability, place of origin (single- or multi-family housing, urban or rural) and collection method. This paper presents the method adopted for conducting the study and the results of an annual, monthly analysis of the morphological composition and selected properties of bio-waste from source-segregated households from 4 rural municipalities and 4 cities, from neighbourhoods with single-family and multi-family housing in Poland. In household bio-waste, the proportion of food waste content ranges from 36.7 to 47.6% (annual average values). The proportion of edible food waste in relation to the total weight of food waste is 5 to 7 times lower. The yearly percentage of garden waste varied from 35.8 to 52.8%. A considerable amount of impurities (such as plastics, glass, and stones) is present in the bio-waste stream. The waste collected in containers in urban areas with multi-family houses is the most polluted (16.6%). The proportion of pollutants in bio-waste collected in bags (rural areas and cities with single-family housing) does not exceed 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a significant public health concern in India, accounting for 15–30% of all fatalities among children younger than 5 years. Aims and Objectives: This study estimated the prevalence of ARI and its association with sociodemographic variables and housing conditions in under-five children in rural Jhansi, Bundelkhand region. Materials and Methods: This community-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the selected Anganwadi Centers in Badagaon Block, Jhansi. Data for sociodemographic factors and housing conditions were collected by interviewing parents or caretakers of under-five children using a semi-structured predesigned and pretested pro forma during a house-to-house visit. The sociodemographic factors considered were the educational status of the parents, occupation of the father, religion of the child, socioeconomic class of the family, age of the child, type of family, and sex of the child. The parameters of housing conditions evaluated were overcrowding, ventilation type of chulha, and type of house. Results: The overall prevalence of ARI was found to be 48.88%. Significant sociodemographic factors for ARIs have been the educational level of the mother (χ²=18.69, P<0.001) and father (χ²=12.02, P<0.001), the working status of the fathers (χ²=17.95, P=0.001), the type of family (χ²=23.88, P<0.001), and the gender (χ²=16.57, P<0.001) of the studied children and the significant environmental housing factors associated with ARIs were overcrowding (χ²=13.61, P≤0.001), ill-ventilated houses (χ²=54.63, P<0.001), type of chulha (χ²=164.31, P≤0.001), and type of house (χ²=4.69, P=0.030). Conclusion: The prevalence of ARI as observed in this study is noteworthy. The study’s findings underscore the significance of enhancing sociodemographic indicators and housing conditions as effective measures for preventing ARI in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Affected by the development strategy of Rural Space Reconstruction in China, the demand for rural mass housing has peaked in the North China Plain in the past 20 years. However, due to the inefficiency of conventional design methods, the rural houses built appear to have a noticeable trend of urbanization and homogeneity. To propose a more effective design approach to change the hitherto unsuccessful homogenized phenomenon of rural design, the study is based on investigating the composition, configuration and characteristics of the dwellings in some traditional villages of the eastern Shandong Province, and it compares and analyzes the differences between conventional methods and generation methods through three design tests: Test 1 is for the reappearance of a general mode of planning, Test 2 is based on the definition of shape-grammar-based rules and Test 3 is mainly used for the optimizing and programming of rules. Furthermore, based on the three prototypes of homestead combination, three-level rules are determined through the three tests mentioned above: Level-1 describes the housing prototype consisting of four homesteads, which generates a variety of spatial relations through the translation of homesteads. Level-2 describes a neighborhood prototype consisting of 16 homesteads, which generates various samples through splitting prototypes and expanding homesteads. Level-3 describes a block prototype consisting of 64 homesteads, which controls open space and identifies a given base during sample filling. Through the analysis of the tests results, the rationality and feasibility of the generative design approach are verified, proving that this approach effectively solves the design monotony problem that commonly exists in rural mass housing in the North China Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abandoned houses have become a common feature of the local landscapes: the rising number of abandoned houses is a major challenge facing many counties in South Korea. Their presence negatively influences the neighborhood by undermining its aesthetic quality, depreciating the perception of safety in the neighborhood properties, and deepening the fiscal deficit of local financing. The detection of abandoned houses is the first step toward adequate housing management by local governments. This study aims to provide a cost-effective and prompt approach to identifying abandoned houses in rural areas. Multi-source data, that is, images and building registry data are utilized and a multi-input neural network is designed to adopt these heterogeneous datasets. Trained by the two source datasets, the proposed network achieves 86.2% accuracy in classifying abandoned houses, which is an acceptable performance level in administrative practice. The database of abandoned houses identified in this manner is expected to promote effective housing management by governments and ultimately contribute to mitigating vacancies in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the dreams for the future of young adults in Midden-Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, the Netherlands. Through 274 qualitative surveys and focus groups with 12 participants, it explores their dreams for the future, the obstacles they foresee in realising these dreams, and the influence of these obstacles on their stated life plans. The findings reveal a preference for areas outside settlements in residential dreams. Limited housing and career opportunities are identified as foreseen obstacles. These obstacles shape participants' stated life plans, which become more urban-oriented. Removing these obstacles can facilitate the realisation of rural residential dreams and promote rural areas as attractive areas to settle for new generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing reconstruction plays a crucial role in renovating disaster-hit areas. Rural areas are considerably different from urban areas in terms of geographic environment, building size, residential culture, and social organization. Therefore, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction models for urban areas cannot be applied directly to disaster-hit rural areas. This study, based on the experience of rural housing reconstruction after the Wenchuan earthquake, identified key strategic issues in housing reconstruction that must be addressed to achieve the goal of "building back better" in the future. By taking the experience of Dujiangyan as our reference, the study found that the following strategies are important for successful housing reconstruction in rural areas: (1) actively involve disaster victims through a participatory institutional design; (2) coordinate the interests of governments, markets, and disaster victims and the functions of living, production, and ecology through a classified housing reconstruction system; and (3) activate the quota for rural collective construction land and create a new source of funding for housing reconstruction through the market circulation of urban-rural land. Additionally, in the context of urban-rural integration, changes in land use can lead to rural spatial reconstruction and sustainable regional development, providing a reference for formulating optimal post-disaster reconstruction strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies on residential mobility of ageing adults to rural areas have investigated which of them buy a home in a rural risk area. This paper examines which socio-demographic characteristics, housing attributes and earthquake circumstances influence the actual choice of mid-to-later life adults to purchase a house in a rural risk area. The study focuses on housing transactions in the Dutch Groningen rural earthquake region, compared to transactions in the Groningen rural non-earthquake area from 2012 to 2019 (N = 6,082). Buying a house in the Groningen risk area might be challenging, as the earthquakes have had a significant impact on the regional housing market, the building structure of the houses and the wellbeing of the residents. Earlier research nonetheless suggests that, despite the risks, homebuyers still purchase houses in the Groningen earthquake area. The developed model predicts which mid-to-later life homebuyers of 50 years and older will purchase a dwelling in the Groningen earthquake region. Logistic regression analyses show that characteristics of the mid-to-later life homebuyer and earthquake circumstances are decisive aspects in respect of this choice. Being a single mid-to-later life homebuyer, with a previous residence in the Groningen earthquake region or being born in this region, enlarges the probability of purchasing a home in the earthquake region. Another significant predictor of a home purchase in the earthquake region appears to be a higher earthquake intensity of the homebuyer's previous residence. These conclusions indicate the existence of a local housing market in rural risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the example of recognized refugees in rural Germany, and following the housing pathways approach, the paper addresses the complex interplay of individual and family‐related residential preferences over time as well as structural factors regarding access to housing and associated settlement and integration. Results are from a long‐term empirical study that encompassed both refugees' and local actors' views. Mechanisms and practices of exclusion that prevent refugees from accessing appropriate private housing are related to the negotiation of residential preferences about where and how to live, as well as to structural aspects such as the pattern of local housing markets, accessibility of infrastructures or the unwillingness of landlords to let to refugees. The paper concludes to highlight the role of place in housing trajectories and the significance of social resources within refugees' practices and local intermediaries' strategies to overcome exclusion and provision of access to rural housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the fire safety problems in self-build housing in China's vast rural areas have become increasingly prominent. We analyzed the interaction of causative factors and logical structure of self-build housing fire accidents (SBHFAs) to find their key causes and reduce their occurrence. Using the 24Model, 30 SBHFA investigation reports were analyzed, and 44 SBHFA causative factors and 97 causal relationship codes were obtained. The causality and centrality degree of causative factors were analyzed using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to obtain the causal attribute and importance of causative factors. An adversarial hierarchical topology model of causative factors was conducted using the adversarial interpretive structural modeling (AISM) method, and the causal hierarchical relationships were obtained. Using the Matrices Impacts Croises-Multiplication Appliance Classement (MICMAC) analysis, the causative factors' dependency degree and driving force were calculated. Combining and comparing the results of DEMATEL, AISM, and MICMAC analyses, we found that the adversarial hierarchical topology model of causative factors was reasonable, and key direct causative factors, key transitional causative factors, and key root causative factors were mined. Controlling the key causative factors could effectively reduce the occurrence of SBHFAs and guide the fire safety management of self-build housings in rural areas of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The house is an essential human need; over time, its spaces have taken on a different structure due to the conditions and external changes. Therefore, the present study seeks to investigate the rural settlements in Talesh to extract the patterns of evolution. To recognize the properties of the changes, we can use the design of rustic housing patterns. Data collection tools were library research and observation. The research method was a mixed study (qualitative and quantitative). In this research, using mathematical formulations, the goal of the study could be achieved. In the quantitative stage, 150 rural houses, selected purposefully from different Talesh regions, were analyzed using data mining and Python scripting language methods. The results indicated that in the Talesh region, the shape of a rectangle, east-west orientation, and the orientation of the veranda toward the south are common features in all of the areas found in the region. But the porch, which is a semi-open space, has played an influential role in constructing the form and improving the function of the spaces over time. Its area has been reduced, and moving it to the middle of the building has caused the formation of the houses to be more closed than before. Also, the examination of the pattern of traditional houses showed that the function of closed spaces has increased by separating different spaces due to their absence in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable housing is an important determinant of health equity (Swope & Hernández, 2019). Yet, there are few studies exploring housing insecurity in rural areas. In the current study, we examined the similarities and differences in housing insecure experiences across four rural areas in the state of Maine. We used a qualitative case study approach in which each of the four areas represented a case. We conducted interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders (N = 70) to better understand how housing insecurity manifested in each area. Participants discussed a variety of housing insecure experiences in their communities. However, the types and magnitude of these challenges differed across the four areas; findings indicated that rural areas are different from urban areas and from each other. That there are differing patterns of housing insecurity across rural communities has important implications for which housing policy and social service supports are most needed in each community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of New Architecture is the property of New Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since the beginning of the century the Mediterranean coast has experienced an intense urban development, mainly driven by northern European migrants with habits closely linked to tourism who decide to establish their residence in areas with a warmer climate. Although there are abundant works focused on the study of these mobilities in coastal tourist settings, the territorial transformation triggered in inland rural areas has not been covered with the same attention so far. Through a quantitative empirical approach, based on data obtained from official statistical and cartographic sources, we analyse the settlements that have arisen in the middle valley of the Almanzora river, a unique rural setting of British residents which has experienced exponential growth of irregular land occupation in recent years. This work uncovers two clear models of occupation: the scattered settlements included within the pre-existing agricultural plots and the secondary urban developments that have proliferated in environments of low agricultural productivity. Finally, this study concludes that the regularization of these settlements poses significant challenges both at the legal and planning levels and shows that the profitability of agriculture is a mitigating element of the tourist-residential phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic analysis in rural areas has been dominated in recent decades by socio-economic and socio-political perspectives. The new materialism can constitute a way of progress in rural geographical studies that involve the material and the human in the form of hybrid experiences. Materiality can be expressed in three ways: (1) the surface matter that corresponds to the traditional elements of the material rural space, (2) the materiality that would be associated with a joint and undifferentiated vision of human artefacts in a village, mainly the set of rural houses and (3) the experimental materiality that has an individual dimension, the result of the multiple processes of destruction, revival and reconstruction that simultaneously happen in one place. The experimental materiality is of the most interest for geographic analysis since it is where the materiality of the rural house and the individual are hybridized in the process of recovery of the traditional rural house. In the process of recovery of materialities, binary oppositions built in the rigid framework of modernity can be dissolved and established fluid postmodern alternatives co-produced between people and materiality. The new materialism in rural geography can be an alternative path that allows analyzing heterogeneous realities in a hybrid way and contributing in a practical context to the development of new rural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Visión Electrónica is the property of Fondo de Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tourism can play an important role in rural development. Rural tourism can help diversify the rural economy, slow urbanization, and contribute to the economic viability and revitalization of these places. However, rural destinations need to audit the different resources they have to better understand what they can offer. Using the case of Kazakhstan, we adapt resource-based theory and use expert opinions and publicly available secondary data to assess the resource potential for the development of tourism in the rural areas of Kazakhstan. We use a range of methods such as descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and correspondence analysis to show the resource potential of the 14 rural provinces in Kazakhstan in terms of transport infrastructure, housing & household amenities, communal services, natural & climatic, and cultural & historical resources. The findings reveal that rural Kazakhstan lags behind urban Kazakhstan in many indicators of socioeconomic development. However, experts agree that rural Kazakhstan is endowed with a multitude of natural, cultural, and historical resources. Investment in infrastructure in the areas of transportation, medical care, and communal amenities is needed so that the resources in these rural communities can be accessible for tourists. This type of analysis can be used in other emerging destinations to help them develop tourism and improve the lives of those in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the development quality of rural residential areas in plain areas requires scientific evaluation. Based on the rural residential area in Hengshui City, Hebei Province, the study selected four indicators of location, production, ecology, and management, to build an evaluation model for the suitability of human settlements and evaluated rural residential areas in Hengshui City. The findings indicated the following: (1) The most suitable areas are mainly concentrated in the geographical center of Hengshui City. The generally suitable areas are mainly distributed in the east of the city. The basic suitable areas are scattered in the west and northeast of the city. The unsuitable areas are mainly concentrated in the north of the city. Most of the area of Hengshui City is suitable for the residence and development of rural residential areas, and 72.86% of rural residential areas are located in suitable areas, which is consistent with the geographical environment characteristics of plain areas. (2) The rural residential areas in unsuitable areas are mainly due to the low income, serious population loss and low urbanization rate, which are in line with the characteristics of rural residential areas. (3) The suitability of human settlements in rural residential areas in plain areas is mainly affected by the per capita agricultural land area, hydrology index, distance to river, distance to country, distance to a slow road, and distance to the fast road are low-level driving factors, of which distance to a fast road has the weakest influence. (4) There is a significant positive correlation between the environmental suitability and the distribution density of rural residential areas. The improvement of the suitability of human settlements can effectively promote the aggregation and distribution of rural residential areas. High-high clustering areas are mainly concentrated in the middle and northeast of Hengshui City, while low-low clustering areas are scattered in the north and southwest of Hengshui City. (5) The location index (LI) and management index (AI) play a limiting role in the suitability of human settlements in the northeast of Hengshui City, and the government should strengthen management intervention and infrastructure construction in the northeast of Hengshui City. The production index (PI) plays a limiting role in the suitability of human settlements in the west of Hengshui City and should consider the improvement of production capacity in the west of Hengshui City. The research results play a vital role in improving the carrying capacity of regional resources and the environment in the plain area, improving rural production, and living conditions, and promoting the development of rural planning in the whole region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines housing affordability among female-headed households, focusing on the differences between those living in rural areas versus those in urban areas. Existing literature on female householders lacks a contemporary understanding of the demographic, housing, and financial characteristics and the differences among rural and urban householders. Using multinomial logistic regression and 2013 American Housing Survey data for the analyses, this study identified statistically significant differences regarding housing affordability among rural and urban householders. The results of this research provide insight concerning the attributes of female householders, particularly those that live in rural areas, and their relationship to housing affordability. Our findings reveal housing cost burden as one of the prevailing struggles for female householders in the rural and urban areas of the US. Rural female householders spent a smaller percentage of their income on housing on average compared to urban householders, yet about half of all rural female householders were cost burdened. Female householders with children experienced more housing hardship and worse economic conditions than those without children. Our research points to the need for policy interventions that mitigate female-headed households' economic and housing challenges, particularly those in rural areas who may have difficulty accessing government programs and assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing quality is essential to human well-being, security and health. Monitoring the housing quality is crucial for unveiling the socioeconomic development status and providing political proposals. However, depicting the nationwide housing quality in large-scale and fine detail is exceedingly rare in remote rural areas owing to the high cost of canonical survey methods. Taking rural China as an example, we collect massive rural house images for housing quality assessment by various volunteers and further build up a deep learning model based on the assessed images to realize an automatic prediction for huge raw house images. As a result, the model performance achieves a high R2 of 0.76. Afterward, the housing qualities of 10,000 Chinese villages are estimated based on 50,000 unlabeled geo-images, and an apparent spatial heterogeneity is discovered. Specifically, divided by Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River Line, housing quality in southern China is much better than in northern China. Our method provides high-resolution predictions of housing quality across the extensive rural area, which could be a complementary tool for automatical monitoring of housing change and supporting house-related policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the typical tube-style house in the rural area of northern Zhejiang Province as a case, the dynamic simulation of building energy consumption is carried out by using Designbuilder software from three aspects: building noumenon, lighting and electrical equipment, and personnel use characteristics. Calculate the sensitivity coefficient of each parameter to building energy consumption so as to identify the main factors affecting building energy consumption after the renovation of tube house residential buildings into rural homestay. The results show that different parameters have great influence on the heating and cooling energy consumption in the tube-style rural homestay, and the indoor control temperature has the most significant influence on the building energy consumption. The lighting and electrical equipment have less influence. The order of the building noumenon factors is heat transfer coefficient of non-transparent envelope, air tightness, window to wall ratio, SHGC and heat transfer coefficient of transparent envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In global pattern reconstruction, ecological civilization construction and integrated urban–rural development in the new era as well as outlining a new framework for rural development and promoting efficient operation of the coordination mechanism for rural development are urgently required. This paper considers three northeastern provinces of China as an example, attempts to analyze the relationship between the subsystems of rural development, and examines the coupling coordination mechanism of population, land, and industry money in the four‐dimensional system. It explores the evolution path and defects of rural development in Northeast China under the background of transformation from a systematic perspective. We found that the coupling degree of "population‐land‐industry‐money" in rural Northeast China is high, while the coordination degree is low. The degree of spatial and temporal differentiation of the coupling coordination degree gradually increases, and the rural development of each province is highly unbalanced. The results also indicate that the main reasons for the low level of the coupling coordination degree are improved land development levels, a relative shortage of labor force, backward industrial development, and increasingly weak rural investment levels. Finally, this paper illustrates that the main solutions to rural revitalization are stimulating rural investment through policies and promoting the revival of agriculture, with financial support as the starting point, before establishing the linkage and mutual feed development of "population‐land‐industry‐money" in rural areas. The results will help countries, especially developing countries, to further consider methods toward achieving rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite two centuries of urbanisation worldwide, 45% of the world's people still live in rural areas. Driven by urban development, the form and structure of rural settlements have undergone drastic changes. Reasonable planning according to the scale of the land and spatial layout of rural settlements is particularly important for the development of rural areas. The continuous development of the economy means that the housing needs of farmers and the macro policy background will inevitably change. We create a relationship curve for the "policy-scale of rural settlements" in different periods according to the laws of Maslow's psychological demand theory and game theory and conduct an empirical study on Dingzhou City, China. The limited availability of remote sensing data means it is difficult to map the evolution patterns of rural settlements on medium and long time scales, and therefore, this paper explores and decrypts military satellite images, reveals the spatial evolution characteristics of rural settlements in Dingzhou, China from 1962 to 2020, and discusses the impact of policy factors on changes to rural settlements in different periods. The study found that from 1962 to 2020, the total area of rural settlements in Dingzhou showed a trend of continual increase, with a total increase of 8354.97 ha (73%). The average annual growth rates in 1962–1972, 1972–1990, 1990–2000, 2000–2010, and 2010–2020 were 0.29%, 1.17%, 1.81%, 1.26%, and 0.05%, respectively. The growth rate of rural settlements was relatively slow from 1962 to 1972. The policy was mainly because rural homesteads (land for building rural residences) were transformed from private ownership to "one homestead, two systems", and the expansion of rural settlements was inhibited. From 1972 to 1990, with the deepening of reform and opening up, there was a boom in building houses in rural areas, and the growth rate of rural settlements increased. From 1990 to 2000, although the state strengthened the management of rural settlement use, there was still an increasing trend in the area of rural settlements; from 2000 to 2020 the implementation of policies such as "one house for one household" and "connecting increase and decrease" meant that the growth rate of rural settlements slowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural urbanization under China's process of rapid urbanization entails significant rural transformation and is profoundly influencing sustainable development. However, little research has been undertaken on spatial patterns and socioeconomic activities. In this study, we defined urbanized rural areas as territories where the population size, economic output, and built-up land area are larger than in other rural and urban areas. Using large-scale and high-granularity spatial data, we delimited 255 urbanized rural areas from the 15,117 village-level administrative units in Fujian Province, China, in 2015. Analysis of the spatial patterns of the urbanized rural areas showed that spatial clustering, proximity to well-developed urban centers, and transportation accessibility influenced the development of the urbanized rural areas. Analysis of socioeconomic activities in the urbanized rural areas showed that the urbanized rural areas are rudimentary urban areas in terms of socioeconomic activities. Specifically, we found four representative socioeconomic activities in the urbanized rural areas: an urban-like housing model, diverse non-agricultural activities, transportation improvements, and sufficient health services. Based on our findings, we put forward several policy implications. This study can add valuable new knowledge for rural and urbanization studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Berliner Debatte Initial is the property of Berliner Debatte Initial e.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although globally used as construction material in earthquake zones, adobes' low tensile and flexural strength produce brittle behavior and low ductility of structures under seismic loads. Adobe buildings are widespread in Colombian rural and urban areas: as monumental buildings or informal housing, theyrepresents an immeasurable architectural and cultural heritage. Albeit high Colombian seismic risk, national building regulations do not include earthen architecture references. The paper analyzes the most frequent seismic subsidence mechanisms of earthen architecture, adobe building retrofitting and its seismic behavior improvement via specific interventions. The main goal is to associate possible causes—due to common local adobe building practices—with failure mechanisms, to deduce which retrofitting strategies could reduce seismic effects into adobe structures. The research innovation lies in the effectiveness and feasibility evaluation of the retrofitting strategies through "sustainability" indicators, based on literature quantitative and qualitative data, and strictly related to rural Colombian conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Beijing University of Civil Engineering & Architecture is the property of Journal of Beijing University of Civil Engineering & Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research examining homelessness in rural areas has been sparse. The current study aims to expand conceptions of rural homelessness by mapping community‐level risk factors related to housing insecurity. Geographic information systems (GIS) techniques were used to map the distribution of select community‐level risk indicators in the State of Maine. Three methodological choices related to this process are demonstrated: (1) selection and distribution of housing insecurity risk indicators; (2) use of location quotients; and (3) use of spatial lags. After examining and mapping selected risk factors against the location of homeless service supports, four areas in Maine were identified as communities of concern for housing insecurity. Better understanding the extent and location of areas of high need that are resource poor can help service and funding agencies to plan for the more efficient and effective distribution of homeless prevention and mitigation services. Implications for research in rural areas are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays problems such as insufficient rural residents' participation and homogeneous design in the unified construction mode of rural housing in the north China plain mean that residents are increasingly unable to obtain satisfactory housing. The objective of this paper is to provide a shape grammar-based method which can analyze the design vocabularies and generate new solutions to rural housing. Based on a field survey of 56 villages in Shandong Province is located on the North China Plain, the elements of the shape and layout of traditional housing and well-off housing were summarized, and dwelling rules (Stage 1) and room rules (Stage 2) were defined. After that, the rules with the demands of rural residents (derived from Chinese rural family life cycle model and the rural resident types of China) were matched to define transformation rules (Stage 3). Finally, the operability and rationality of this method were verified, with the finding that shape grammar can effectively solve the problem of matching customized mass housing design with differentiated demands from users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores key elements of an extension approach for enhancing the sustainability and realizing the scaling-up of tree growing by smallholder farmers in rural remote areas where extension services seldom reach and access to external markets is difficult. By referring to the case in Madagascar, the paper discusses that creating a certain number of local trainers is effective because they function as a driver to promote tree growing and new livelihood activities introduced by external agents using locally available resources. One critical issue of being a local trainer is to have good communication skills in relation to fellow farmers. This issue can be addressed by sharing the importance of communication skills of local trainers in a community so that fellow farmers can facilitate local trainers' reflection unless a farmer does not feel reliable to a local trainer. On a mid- to longer-term basis, income opportunities will become an important point of motivation for local trainers. Creating new livelihood activities that can generate income and simultaneously contribute to village development is the way to go. This will enable local trainers to maintain their motivation and thus lead to sustainable tree growing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to create a typology of the Romanian rural area according to the socio-economic modernization-development perspectives. The starting point consisted in the development of three indices to measure the analysed processes, namely the rural modernization index, the rural development index and the rural household modernization index. To create the typology, the author proposed a method that takes into consideration both the value of indices and the trend of these indices in the period 2007-2018. From the resulting typology, a general trend was noticed, namely that the Romanian rural area has a different behaviour depending on the proximity of large urban centers (see the counties Timiș, Ilfov, Cluj, Sibiu, Constanța, Brașov), the rural households in the proximity of cities have easier access to utilities and more attractive jobs, the population is younger and more educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bitácora Urbano/Territorial is the property of Bitacora Urbano/Territorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study focuses on the areas of usage of tandoor, the burning of tandoori equipment, tandoori fuels, and the introduction of tandoori bread and other tools and goods in the production of this bread, depending on the tandoori culture in the rural areas of Erzurum. The study area was carried out in the districts of Yakutiye, Aziziye, Pasinler, Palandöken, Uzundere, Oltu, Tortum, İspir, Aşkale, Karaçoban, Çat and Aşkale and their villages (neighborhoods) within the borders of Erzurum province. The tandoori, which determined the plan of traditional Erzurum houses in the past, and the buried tandoors in it continue to exist in today's Erzurum rural architecture. The tandoor, which is used for all kinds of cooking and even as a heating tool, has lost its former importance to a large extent. However, the geography of the tandoor, climatic conditions, livelihoods, the instinct to keep the tradition alive, and the necessities of rural life carry its past use to the present. The eating habits reflected in the culinary culture of the region's production based on agriculture and stock farming, storing the butter by melting it for use in meals, roasting, civil cheese (wire cheese) are continued as extensions of the tandoori culture. However, tandoori has now turned into a tool that is identical to tandoori bread. Burning the tandoori, which is a laborious task in the routines of rural life, and making it ready for use, is done with tools and equipment that have different functions and are called squeegee, eğiş, hatircek, kösevi, tandoori cloth. For the Anatolian people, bread represents both a basic food source and a value attributed to holiness. Lavash, which is cooked only in tandoori in Erzurum, in the countryside varies with the types of bread that are called open bread, ball bread / kopul bread / plump bread/beak bread/hand bread/ground bread, gugul bread, topping bread, gılik, loğlik and fetir. The most common tandoori bread in Erzurum countryside is open bread with its general term. Although the production steps of the yeast dough are the same, there are few differences in shape, size, thickness, and taste. Round-shaped, medium-span bread, which attracts attention with its different names made as an alternative to open bread in the rural areas of the region, also has an important place. Rapata, whose dough is the same as open bread dough, offers a rich variety of bread that changes in shape, thickness, cooking, and depending on these, its taste. It is noteworthy that these types of bread have the same shape and size characteristics and different naming in the region. In addition to tandoori bread, tandoori pastries, tandoori cakes (with, without, walnuts), pağaç, patile, and cornbread are among the most popular pastries in the countryside. Making the tandoori bread depends on the preparation of the tandoor, as well as using other tools and goods. Flour warehouse, dough trough, fine sieve, dastar, breadboard, roller, rapata, and bread chest are encountered in Erzurum countryside and all regions with tandoori bread tradition, with the same purpose, but in different materials and forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of providing electricity to rural sectors in developing countries has been approached by using a variety of strategies, with varying degrees of success. Governments with determination and resources have implemented a utility-led model to pursue or achieve rural electrification. In countries with fewer resources, Governments have opted for the concession-led model, in which rural areas are divided into zones or concession areas and offered to private companies for the provision of electricity. In developing countries, the concession-led model for the electrification of rural areas faces the serious hurdles of the abject poverty of farmers in many rural communities and the large number of small sized villages or highly dispersed settlements. This is the case of Senegal, which adopted the concession-led model, resulting in a rural electrification rate still under 40%. The current study first provides a detailed analysis of the challenges and achievements of the rural electrification program in Senegal. Secondly, we present our model for the creation of universal access to electricity, using the example of a pilot project in Coure Matar, a small village in Senegal. Our model is suitable for small villages, demonstrating the potential generation of job opportunities for small sized companies and the opportunity to achieve 100% rural electrification at a fraction (less than 16%) of the cost of the Senegalese Government's initial estimates to provide just 50% of rural electrification. In this study, the pilot project puts forth a model that could make the realization of universal access to basic electric services in rural areas, even in the poorest countries of the world, a reality. • We present the rural electrification models in developing countries. • We analyze different factors that can impact rural electrification policies. • We present the agency-led policy in Senegal and its structural limits. • We compare policies in Morocco, Senegal, and ECOWAS. • We present a model for universal access to electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using the quantitative method, this paper examined barriers to water‐efficiency behaviour amongst rural and peri‐urban residents in Eastern Cape, South Africa and identify opportunities for promoting it. The result showed positive associations between water‐efficiency behaviour and income, personal capabilities and poor knowledge of efficient water conservation measures. Rural and peri‐urban households identified cost as the overarching barrier to installing water‐efficient appliances. Financial incentives emerged as a significant opportunity for promoting water‐efficient behaviour. The result suggests rural and peri‐urban residents are open to water efficiency behaviour where financial incentives are provided for the voluntary installation of efficient taps and other water‐saving devices. The findings underscore the need to educate the rural populace about the use and benefits of water‐efficient appliances. The study contributes to methodological approaches in household water behaviour studies and provides further insights on water efficiency behaviour within a specific African population often overlooked in mainstream academic endeavours of this kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses census data for England and Wales to explore the ties between processes of rural gentrification and recent internal migration. Internal migrants are defined as individuals who moved subnationally to their current address in the previous 12 months, as indicated by the replies to the 2001 and 2011 census question about usual address 1 year ago. Our analysis reveals declining rural in‐migration rates between 2001 and 2011, in parallel with other recent studies of internal migration. At the same time, uneven geographies of rural in‐migration are identified. In rural places with declining in‐migration rates, we emphasise the immobilities of settled gentrifiers that are caused by predilections to 'stay put' within prized, rural places for age‐related personal/emotional, social/support and economic reasons. This is limiting the supply pipeline of housing for latent in‐migrants and slowing flows of migration per se in saturated rural housing markets. By contrast, rural places with increasing in‐migration rates may signify new frontiers of gentrification, providing channels of entry for recent migrants that are not able to buy into exclusive high‐cost gentrified markets. Our novel argument is that despite gentrification being inherently a process of migration, when viewed in a broader temporal perspective, mature and exclusive forms of gentrification can also stifle migration and be the catalyst for immobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although rurality is regarded as core terminology in rural geography and an essential characteristic of rural and rural tourism, researchers have not attached enough academic importance to the hybridity and multisensory characteristics of the rural, including its soundscapes. From the perspective of history and culture, the ancient Chinese were obsessed with the geomantic conception of the harmonious coexistence of man and nature in their rural construction, and Chinese pastoral poetry covered the harmonious soundscape symphony of natural ecology and rural community. Acoustic rurality can be defined as sustainable rural soundscapes in the changed and changing human-environment contexts comprising quiet and tranquility; wild, domestic, and social soundscapes; and the rural soundscapes as important indicators of good rural ecological environment and traditional rural heritages that can be preserved and developed through acoustic rurality-based planning. Using the practical roadmaps of China's Beautiful Rural Construction and Rural Vitalization Strategy for reference, this study sums up the four proposed guidelines for conserving and developing acoustic rurality: noise control and protecting the quiet and tranquil countryside, conserving wildlife habitat of the rural wild soundscapes, safeguarding cultural soundscape heritages, and developing recreational soundscapes for rural tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper was to establish a causal relationship between the socio-economic modernization level and the development level of the Romanian rural area, as main point of modernization of the rural household. The starting point in establishing this causal relationship was the development of a theoretical model for the assessment of the modernization and socio-economic development level of the rural area in terms of rural household modernization potential. The output of these models was 3 composite indices that were analysed both as independent indices, in dynamics, and in relation to the other indices, as well as to the dimensions and indicators related to each index. The main hypothesis of the research was the existence of an intrinsic link between the modernization degree and the socio-economic development of the rural area, thus the integration of modernization elements entailing development and implicitly, at rural household level, the continuous improvement of the quality of life and welfare of the rural population. The rural household was considered an important component of the Romanian rural space, being the driving engine that makes all the subsystems of the rural space work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is related to socio-economic development, but modern energy is essential for sustainable development. This cross-sectional study examines the determinants of purchase intention for renewable energy technology in the rural context. The research model for this study and the thirteen hypotheses were derived from various theoretical models and existing literature related to technology adoption. This empirical test is conducted based on the survey of 300 Bangladeshi rural non-users of renewable energy technology selected in a stratified random sampling method using a structured questionnaire interview. The Structural Equation Modeling using the Analysis of Moment Structures software reveals that attitude, perceived cost, perceived usefulness, knowledge, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence renewable energy purchase intention. The results indicate that social influence and perceived ease of use do not affect renewable energy technology's purchase intention. The results also show that knowledge and perceived usefulness are connected to attitude and perceived usefulness, whereas knowledge affects perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness affects attitude toward the purchase of renewable energy technology. The study delivers a notable insight into the adoption of renewable energy purchase intention in Bangladesh along with managerial and policy implications. The study ends up with a discussion on the limitations and suggestions for future research. • A well-fit integrated model is developed and analyzed in the rural context. • Perceived behavioral control has the higher effect on purchase intention. • Social influence and perceived ease of use are not related to purchase intention. • The success of renewable energy diffusion is nested in enabling pricing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, around half of the global population lives in urban areas. This rate is expected to increase up to two-thirds by the year 2050. Most studies analyze urban dynamics in wide geographic ranges, focusing mainly on cities. According to them, the global population is spatially distributed (and polarized) in two extremes: large urban agglomerations and rural deserts. However, this remark is excessively general and imprecise. For this reason, it remains essential to analyze these dynamics at other spatial scales. A close-up look in thinly populated regions shows how urban dynamics are also noticeable. In this paper, we analyze spatiotemporal patterns of population distribution in a predominantly rural area by applying a local-scale approach. These patterns are represented by using spatial networks with nodes representing the human settlements and links showing hierarchies between nodes. This case study is conducted in a small municipality located in northwestern Spain. It is a predominantly rural area with a very particular spatial pattern of population distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on renewed conflict between private and public interest and reflecting case for a planning. Topics include explaining relocation choices in terms of a link between cramped urban housing and spacious second homes being pure speculation; and introducing new investment and confidence to communities losing population.

The paper aims to present the role of Local Action Groups in rural Romania in the period between 2011 and 2021. It is based on data available at the MADR level and the following indicators were used: no. of LAGs, area and population covered by LAGs, types of investments, number and value of investments. During the examined period there was an increase in the number of LAGs, investments made locally from non-reimbursable European funds which led to improved living conditions in rural areas through quality infrastructure and basic services and job creation LAGs participate in developing and strengthening the role of local governance through the involvement of public authorities, the private sector and civil society in community-based decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In rural communities, diversifying sources of income through rural entrepreneurship by relying on the establishment of skills houses can be a good way to develop employment, reduce unemployment, increase income and improve the quality of life of villagers. Entrepreneurship and Skills House is a popular and voluntary organization that will work in line with the goals of entrepreneurship and empowerment, with a village-centered approach in cooperation with residents, stakeholders and local and regional stakeholders. It is an organization that promises rural development by training and discovering new ideas and supporting them. In this regard, the present study aims to investigate and formulate optimal scenarios for job creation in rural areas of East Guilan and by emphasizing the role of skills houses in creating sustainable employment, tries to answer the question "What is a suitable scenario for sustainable job creation based on skills houses?" The geographical scope includes the rural area of East Guilan and the village analysis unit. In this research, 260 villages have been studied and to determine the indicators affecting rural employment based on skills houses, 384 farmers, 400 local managers and elites, and 150 experts from organizations and institutions in charge of rural development participated. The results of this study showed that the optimal scenario for the development of sustainable employment is based on skills houses in the eastern region of Guilan; the scenario is "job creation compatible with the natural environment". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]