Source: adapted from World Bank (2009) World Development Report 2009: Reshaping Economic Geography.

Perspectives about the Urban Spatial Structure: From Dichotomy to Continuum

Conventional perspectives about the urban spatial structure tended to represent the urban space in dichotomy with the rural space. They were considered two separate entities, albeit in interaction. The emerging perspective considers the urban spatial structure as a continuum composed of a variety of transitional structures between what can be considered purely rural and urban. The firsts are villages representing basic forms of urbanism in a rural setting. Then, a whole range of urban settlements ranging from towns to large urban agglomerations. The Extended Metropolitan Region (EMR; often labeled a metropolis) is a continuum of urban activities, often interwoven with rural activities, that includes a large urban agglomeration and a network of secondary (satellite) cities, often structured along a corridor. The most complex of these structures are massive urban conurbations such as BostWash (Boston - Washington), Tokaido (Tokyo - Osaka), the Pearl River Delta (Hong Kong - Guangzhou) or Shanghai - Nanjing.

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