The urban–rural interface as a complex territory: an analytical framework for its study in intermediate cities of Ecuador

Abstract

The intensification of urbanization processes has transformed the relationships between city and countryside, generating transitional territories where social, economic, environmental, and political dynamics converge. In this context, the urban–rural interface has become a key analytical category for understanding hybrid spaces shaped by processes of peri-urbanization, land-use change, functional reorganization, and socio-environmental conflicts. The aim of this research was to develop an analytical framework for the study of the urban–rural interface from the perspective of territorial complexity, considering it as a multidimensional geographical space. Methodologically, a systematized narrative literature review was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, Scielo, and Google Scholar. The results made it possible to identify three main axes: the conceptualization of the urban–rural interface as a complex territory, the territorial processes that shape it, and the theoretical approaches most commonly used for its analysis. Based on these findings, an analytical framework is proposed that integrates critical geography, complexity, political ecology, and territorial planning, and is useful for future empirical research in Ecuador’s intermediate cities.