Empirical study on the contribution of infrastructure to the coordinated development between urban and rural areas : case study on water supply projects

Abstract

The gap between urban and rural areas is one of the key factors that may affect justice, equity, harmony and stability of the society. This is especially true in a developing country like China. Urban-rural coordination will help narrow the gap between city and countryside; more importantly, infrastructure is viewed as a crucial element in bridging the gap and facilitating a coordinated development. Based on the previously established evaluation index system and evaluation model for infrastructure contribution to urban-rural coordination, this paper makes an empirical study using the data from projects of Chongqing Urban-Rural Infrastructure Coordination Demonstration Program. The results of the study indicate that the contribution of infrastructures to urban-rural coordination increases with the growing equity of investment, and infrastructure plays a significant role in closing the urban-rural gap and gradually achieving the urban-rural coordination. Therefore, conclusion is made that the infrastructure investment between town and country should be balanced in a manner that is "equity-oriented and efficiency-emphasized" in order to attain the strategic goal of urban-rural coordination and promote social justice.