In this chapter1 is presented and discussed the national definitions of urban and rural. Factors of urban-rural relations are presented based on statistical analyses and land cover data as well as their interrelations and correlations with economic indicators, population changes and typology of development prospects. The harmonised urbanrural typology is presented and analysed according to a set of factors including population, economic factors, accessibility, tourism and land use efficiency. The national definitions are compared to the harmonised typology, and the potential of the harmonised typology is tested on two national cases, that is, on Belgium and Austria. The chapter ends with a summary and a brief discussion on policy implications.

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