AbstractThere is a growing debate on whether agricultural land in urban fringes should be maintained or converted to other uses. While ‘pro‐ruralists’ believe agricultural land conversion can threaten food security and cause rural‐urban migration, ‘pro‐urbanists’ find it a necessary change for transition from a primitive agricultural‐based community to an advanced industrial‐based society which has the capacity to create mass productions. New‐Ruralists follow an agricultural‐based development approach that promotes small–medium farming and acknowledges rural lifestyle while New‐Urbanists give a priority to large industrial‐based sectors and encourage urban lifestyle. Given the unlike concerns of different societies, the paper concludes that the approaches might have different priorities in the less developed, developing, and developed world. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry