Perspectives on the city-region

The significance of the city-region as a key feature of the space economy of a nation has been acknowledged for some time. Recently, however, there has been a spate of interest in the city-region, and the reasons for this are varied. The form of a typical city-region is discussed, with consideration given to its zonal structure and the accompanying inter-zonal interaction. Such interaction, which occurs with respect to trade, commuting, capital movements, etc., does not imply that the city-region represents a closed economy. The long-term evolution of the city-region is outlined, and a pattern of concentration followed by deconcentration is identified. Certain technical issues relating to the form of the city-region are then examined. Finally, there is a brief review of the different ways in which the cityregion has been defined in the UK over recent years.