Urban and rural areas within a regional space are closely linked through a variety of linkages including the flow of people. The increasing pace of development transformations with discrete planning of urban and rural areas has raised serious concerns for achieving coordinated development at the regional level. In that regard, the concept of Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere (R-CES) has recently been introduced by the Government of Japan to localize the flow of resources between urban and rural areas. To understand the applicability of the R-CES approach, this study aims to visualize the flow of people within a defined cluster of Nagpur Metropolitan Area (NMA) in India. A “home interview method” Origin-Destination survey was adopted to analyze the flow patterns of people and their key purposes. Based on the collected information, flows of people were represented using a desire line diagram in ArcGIS 10.4.1. The study results revealed that the maximum flow of the rural and forest population is directed towards nearby or distant urban settlements to avail the higher-order urban services. Based on the key R-CES principles of a low-carbon society, circular economy, and harmony with nature, the authors suggest feasible directions for localizing the urban–rural flow of people in NMA.

Urban and rural areas often meet their water demands from a shared stock of finite water resources. Against the changing climate, the rising water demands in fast-growing urban areas are leading to increasing water-use conflicts with the co-dependent rural areas. Although poor water governance is frequently cited as the key reason for such urban–rural conflicts, it is also recognized as a potential pathway to resolve them. In the case of Nagpur Region in Central India, water stress has today become a subject of serious concern. The water demands in Nagpur City are primarily met through the multipurpose Pench Dam on priority, but the recently declining water availability has raised undue concerns for irrigation in the Pench command areas. To substantiate the limited understanding of ongoing water conflicts in the wider Nagpur Metropolitan Area, this study analyzes a specific set of secondary data related to the history of the Pench Project and its water utilization trends. By uncovering the periodic decline in irrigated area and the increasing groundwater use for irrigation, the cross-sectoral and transboundary implications of increasing water transfer to Nagpur City are revealed. To address these concerns, this study then suggests feasible governance strategies based on benefit sharing and multi-stakeholder engagement.