The Maturing Modernity: A Development from Urban-Rural Divergence to Urban-Rural Integration

Urban and rural areas have served as fundamental spaces for human production and living throughout history. Modernization has generally undergone a significant structural shift from urban dominance over rural areas to urban facilitation of rural development. With the onset of modernity, the imbalance between traditional and modern societies was striking: the ancient model, where cities and rural areas each utilized their own resources for development, transformed into a model characterized by urban exploitation of rural resources, spatial encroachment, and replacement of rural livelihoods.Later on, a mature state emerged characterized by urban-rural interaction, mutually beneficial development, and shared achievements. This pattern of development has been the case for both advanced economies and emerging economies. People used to believe the advent of modernity would instantly harmonize urban-rural relations. However, this notion does not align with historical reality or the gradual enhancement of human capabilities from ancient to modern times. The transition from early modern urban-rural divergence to mature joint progress signifies significant advancement in how humans manage urban-rural relationships. This transformation represents a gradual, rather than a radical, maturation, aligning with the incremental nature of human cognitive and practical evolution.