The report first presents non-institutional factors that influence the relationship between urban and rural areas. In the second part, it provides an overview of institutional framework conditions and instruments for the design of sustainable urban-rural linkages. The third section of the report analyses existing instruments and policies for the sustainable design of urban-rural linkages. It covers instruments at the German, EU and international levels. Examples of good practice from European and non-European countries in the field of "regional food systems" have a complementary, illustrative function.

The sustainable use of land not only concerns rural communities and actors, but also the interaction of urban and rural areas – the Rural-Urban-Nexus ("RUN"). At the interface of urban and rural areas, a multitude of competing spatial needs and interests exist, such as settlement and transport, agriculture and energy production, drinking water supply and recreation. For reasons of environmental protection, land use must be space- and resource-saving as well as biodiversity- and climate-friendly.