A rural-urban commuting area is an area that is made up of both rural (countryside) and urban (city) areas. People in rural areas tend to live in small towns and farms, while people in urban areas tend to live in big cities like New York or Los Angeles. People in rural areas sometimes travel to urban areas to go to work and people in urban areas sometimes travel to rural areas to visit family and friends or to see the sights. So, a rural-urban commuting area is an area that has both rural and urban areas, where people commute between the two.