User:Rakeshkoti/sandbox

Rurbanization is a word pertaining to an emerging culture that has both Rural and Urban features. The concept of Rurban living or “Rurbanism” evolved with the growing need for developing and living in an environment devoid of all the negative aspects of urbanism such as bad air quality, water quality, heat island effects, green house effects and a disconnect with nature.

Philosophy of Urbanism
The need for this has arisen because of urban people wanting to enjoy a rural atmosphere while also not being able to live comfortably in a village devoid of urban comforts. Rurbanism has evolved as a hybrid solution to connect the positive aspects of both the worlds. The proponents of Rurbanism believe that at the current model of industrialization and urbanisation is not sustainable and a change in the way of living is necessary to negate such effects as unnecessary consumerism, peaceful mindset and contended life style. They believe that this not only brings people close to nature but also creates a so that the future generations can reap the same benefits that they are enjoying from nature.

A typical rural community strives to attain sustainability in some or all of the following areas without compromising on basic comforts and luxuries of life:

Air
Rurban communities strive to preserve and improve both indoor and outdoor air quality. To improve outdoor air quality, a rurban community design may include lots of plantations and landscape planning without disturbing the natural topography of the surrounding area. To improve indoor air quality, Rurban communities may incorporate Passive Cooling design. These methods may include Trombe_wall method, Ground-coupled_heat_exchanger systems, etc.

Water
One of the prime facet of Rurbanization is conservation and responsible usage of domestic water. There are typically two sources from which water is collected - Underground and Rain water. before designing any Rurban community, its water needs are properly assessed as per local or national building codes. Then, groundwater table assessment is carried out through proper surveying. At the same time, rain water harvesting capacity is also taken into account. Finally, the total rain water harvested and ground water extraction is equated to the total water requirement.

To minimize the total requirement, highly efficient plumbing fixtures, proper storm water drainage design, Hydroponics systems for growing plants and water metering at the source are some of the other ways in which overall water demand maybe reduced. But the eventual goal of Rurbanization is to instill the sense of responsibility in the usage of water in the minds of the community members.

Water sustainability measures may include treating Sewage water with techniques such as bio-remediation or Phytoremediation and using the treated water for agricultural purposes within the community. Other measures such as drip-irrigation and rain water harvesting are also included.

Earth
Farming is something that is partly or fully incorporated into the everyday life of the residents in a Rurban community. Permaculture is an essential part of Rurbanization and Rurban systems. Farming and agriculture activities are carried out within the site. The agricultural produce maybe divided within the residents for consumption. Some communities also incorporate natural or Organic_farming farming into their farming techniques.

Energy
Another goal of Rurbanization is Reducing carbon emissions and using Renewable_energy to satisfy part or all of the energy needs in the community. To achieve this, an energy analysis is carried out to measure energy requirement and consumption patterns throughout a typical year and renewable energy systems are designed accordingly. Alternative energy sources such as solar photovoltaic technology, bio-gas generation, wind and hydel power may be used.

Shelter
Shelter pertains to proper and appropriate design of living habitats and homes. Appropriate design implies the design of homes to minimize the built up area without compromising on comfort and luxury. It is a type of architectural design which takes into consideration comfort, luxury factors and expectations of the residents and also other environmental factors such as sun path and shading design and protecting local landscape and trees to reduce the heat island effect and building habitats which complement the existing ground features. Usage of Appropriate_technology and reducing exaggerated living is what these communities strive to achieve.

Food
This aspect of Rurbanization includes cultivating, harvesting and consumption of agricultural produce of farming by the residents of the community thereby reducing reliance upon external sources of food and at the same time maintaining the quality of the food by using organic farming methods and appropriate food preservation techniques. Also, domesticating farm animals such as cows and goat for milk is a part of this system. Some communities may also include API culture(Beekeeping) into their animal husbandry.

People
It is believed by the proponents of Rurbanization that, though, there may be many methods of achieving the above mentioned goals, what is needed first and foremost is a change in the mindset of the people. It is people that have to think in a responsible and sustainable way. To achieve this mission, these communities normally conduct work shops and training sessions where community members are informed about technologies and what it means to be responsible and also local farmers and workmen are trained to undertake methods such as organic farming and other technologies that are incorporated into a rurban community.