Rural and urban development integration through democratic territorial planning and environmental concern

This report presents the study based on the hypothesis that integrating rural development into urban planning as a tool for environmental protection aids to reduce the industrialization that causes climate changes. The integration of urban and rural developments into a territorial plan is not only possible but necessary to help the implementation of the SDGs.

Applying the methods of bibliographic review, survey research with urban planners, and study case, the project aims to (a) make a comparative analysis of the territorial planning systems in France and Brazil (b) investigate into how the Lefebvre’s “right to the city” can be made applicable to individuals living in peri-urban and rural areas and (c) analyses the Loire Parliament initiative and the “Opération Grand Site”. The study shows the role of international agendas for urban planning and sustainability, the importance of the concepts of urban and rural, that are different but not opposites, and the necessity of investing in urban services for small and medium cities.