Reconceptualising the Rural-Urban Continuum: Economic, Environmental, and Cultural Interactions in India

Abstract

This paper rigorously analyses the rural–urban continuum as a conceptual and planning framework for comprehending the dynamic interrelations between settlements in modern India. The study moves away from conventional distinctions that categorize rural and urban as separate entities, revisiting fundamental sociological theories from Tönnies and Durkheim to Redfield and Oommen and synthesizing them with modern frameworks of spatial hybridity, including desakota and peri-urbanism. It illustrates that rural and urban areas in India are progressively interconnected through various movements of labour, capital, services, and ecological resources. The study employs secondary data, typological classifications, and thematic literature to delineate the overlapping spatial forms and functional connections that define hybrid settlements, such as census towns, urbanising villages, and peri-urban corridors. It contends that these transformations are insufficiently represented by existing administrative frameworks, which persist in regulating development through inflexible sectoral boundaries. The research provides a continuum-based framework for reinterpreting spatial planning, governance, and sustainability by integrating empirical insights and theoretical contributions. This reconceptualization provides a basis for inclusive regional development and responds to the pressing necessity of aligning planning systems with the reality of India's changing settlement environment.