Urban Systems Routledge Revivals

This edited collection, first published in 1987, provides a comparative analysis of different approaches to urban modelling, and lays the foundations for the possibility of integration and a more unified field. The first part contextualises the development of the field of urban systems modelling, focusing on the variety of approaches and possible implications of this on the future of research and methodology. Next, the editors consider economic and ‘non-economic’ approaches, followed by an analysis of spatial-interaction-based approaches. Providing an overview to the field and research literature, the overarching argument is that there should be an integrated methodological approach to urban system modelling.

First published in 1999, this volume situates the Italian urban system within a European context, examining the best approach to integration. Connections between urban development, territorial cohesion and the European urban system have been clearly identified by Europe 2000 (1991) and identified as primary instruments for achieving social and economic cohesion and competitiveness as per the Treaty of Maastricht and the White Paper, Growth, Competitiveness, Employment (1993). This book aids this endeavour through featuring contributions on cities as nodes of transport networks, economic change, the demographic transition, the local milieu, regional cohesion and global networks and how the system can integrate into European urban networks.

First published in 1970, this groundbreaking investigation into Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling provides an extensive and detailed insight into the entropy maximising method in the development of a whole class of urban and regional models. The book has its origins in work being carried out by the author in 1966, when he realised that the well-known gravity model could be derived on the basis of an analogy with statistical, rather than Newtonian, mechanics. Subsequent investigation demonstrated that the entropy maximising method stems from an even higher level of generality, and the beginning of the book is devoted to an account of its importance and use as a general modelling tool. This reissue will be welcomed by a range of students and professionals from fields as diverse as urban and regional studies, economics, geography, planning, civil engineering, mathematics and statistics.

Urban problems and their resolution represent one of the major challenges for planners and decision makers in the modern world. This book, first published in 1990, makes a major contribution to the field, presenting an international and interdisciplinary approach to the challenges presented by the urban environment. The coverage is comprehensive, ranging from the economic and political dimensions of the capitalist system, to the issues of poverty and deprivation and questions about housing equity. This is an essential reference guide to social, economic and environmental problems in urban areas, which is of great value to students of planning, urban studies, geography and sociology.

This book, first published in 1982, addressed the need for a fresh and comprehensive guide to the rapidly expanding area of urban geography. Drawing on examples from cities in a number of countries, including the U.S.A., David Clark outlines the contribution of geographers to the understanding of the city and urban society, and analyses the growth of the urban environment alongside planning and policy. A thorough and unique study, this title will be of particular value to undergraduate students, as well as laying the foundations for a more advanced study in urban geography and planning.

First published in 1984, this book addresses key questions about the pattern of urban development in Southern Europe and the mechanisms employed to control and regulate this development in individual countries. It examines five countries – Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey – that have experienced different scales and rates of urbanization and industrialization. It identifies common problems arising from these processes, as well as the successes and failures of the planning policies employed to regulate development. This book will be of great value to geographers interested in Southern Europe and urban and regional planners interested in comparative patterns of development.

Originally published in 1992, this book discusses a contemporary growth in environmental awareness, reflected in an increasing concern about the pollution caused by motor cars.The author considers the problem of congestion bringing traffic to a halt in the major cities and the increasingly controversial nature of contemporary transport planning. Professor Dimitriou provides a thorough and incisive contemporary analysis and suggests some appropriate solutions for the future.

In the twentieth century, urban growth was one of the most powerful catalysts of geographical, social and demographic change in the Western world. When this book was first published in 1989, however, a massive process of counter-urbanization was underway, which saw the loss of population and jobs in cities and a pronounced urban to rural shift. This book analyses the causes and consequences of urban decline in Britain and the developed world during this period and beyond, and assesses the implications for urban planning and policy. David Clark’s relevant and comprehensive title will be of value to students with a particular interest in urban geography and development.