Although the South African Cities Network by its very name focuses mainly on cities in our country, it cannot ignore the fact that there are definite interdependencies between rural and urban areas.
The South African Cities Network research area in this regard focuses on the importance and the implications of rural-urban linkages in areas such as spatial planning and governance of urban spaces.
Examples of rural-urban interdependencies are as follows:
Urban areas rely on rural areas to supply their needs for food, water, wood, raw materials etc
Rural areas rely on urban areas for employment opportunities, civic needs (medical, financial, administrative etc), market opportunities and so forth