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Rubanisation


Rubanisation is a re-conceptualisation of human settlements in which the city and the countryside are considered as one space, not two as it is now - city and countryside are regarded as separate realms. Rubanisation stems from the belief that the continued consideration of the rural and the urban as two distinct realms is unsustainable in terms of social justice, cultural justice and environmental justice. This mode of thinking calls for a new spatial geometry of integrated development that offers real viable choices for living, one that is supported by environmentally sustainable technology and ethical lifestyle.

"Urbanism has been blind to the plight of the countryside for too long, and the tide is turning as we face the global financial crisis and climate change. And so the dominance of urbanism as an ideology must give way to a new economy of distributed happiness for all, to be found through social justice and a change in culture, in which an appreciation of community and knowledge for their own sakes and love of nature are prime."

In Rubanisation, a reverse migration back to the village is encouraged and made possible through the availability of viable choice, prior to returning to repair the city devastated by unjust accumulation. Focusing on the problems of existing mega-cities is only a stop-gap solution. The argument is that in the present mode of development, the countryside has been largely neglected as cities become 'the exclusive focus of development,' compelling those in the rural areas to migrate to the city in search of better opportunities. This has resulted in a massive population explosion in most cities in the developing world, which manifests itself in the growing presence of slums. In the case of developed societies, small towns and villages have been losing population to the lure of the big cities for the excitement that they offer. Rubanisation postulates that unless the problem of rural poverty, which 'still remains the main cause for mass rural-urban migration,' is solved, and people given a real choice in deciding between rural and urban living, the problems of urbanisation remain intractable.

Ruban settlements can be conceived as 'infrastructurally autonomous cells existing within a web of nature, farms, transport, communication and informational interconnectivity.' Each of these cells should not have a radius larger than 500 metres - taken to be the optimal walking distance - with its density and use-mix determined by its location, environment and economic requirements. (The minimum density for a cell, however, is based on the size needed to support the local school population, which is the priority.) Energy-wise each cell is encouraged to be as autonomous as possible, by generating its own power, collecting and processing its own water supply and treating its own organic and inorganic waste. Socially every cell is provided with its own schools, health facilities, shops, workplaces, and basic services, all of which fall within walking distance. In this way Rubanisation ensures that every person or family is able to enjoy a high quality of life, with a choice of lifestyle, livelihood and location. Not everybody wants to live in the city, or necessarily in the countryside. At every stage of life, there should be viable choice; a no-choice situation is a crime against humanity.


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