City size and national spatial strategies in developing countries

摘要: The evidence on the size, structure and functions of LDC cities is evaluated, with findings used for other suggestions scope feasibility national spatial strategies. Neither concept optimal city or size nor that an urban hierarchy (based upon naive notions about relative interurban sizes distances) helpful. idea agglomeration may give way to dispersion (polarization reversal) more relevant policy, but definitive date limited. There no clear relationship between function. Small-scale industry potentially very important in LDCs because its labor-intensive character. Manufacturing much heavily concentrated primate than developed countries, industrial decentralization likely be component any strategy extend hierarchy. However, institutional constraints such as nature planning system, form political territorial organization (e.g., a federal unitary system), location power base, legacy colonialism, ethnicity rule out universal prescription all LDCs.