The Human Settlement Systems Study: Suggested Research Directions

This paper critically discusses the nature and limitations of various lines of research that have been proposed within the general framework of the Human Settlements and Services research task. Recommendations are made concerning feasible directions for future research. In this regard particular attention is given to issues of urban versus regional systems, to structural interdependencies within national and regional settlement systems, and to spatial interaction patterns on an intraregional scale

Urban Change: An Overview of Research and Planning Issues

Three sets of urban policy issues are identified in this paper. These relate to the growth and contraction of metropolitan areas, their changing role in the settlement systems, and their internal organization. Policy-oriented urban models are briefly reviewed. It is concluded that promising research approaches refer to: (a) innovation diffusion and urban growth cycles, (b) interurban migration and demographic change, and (c) spatial interaction within urban regions. These findings are then translated into a working agenda for the Urban Change Task at IIASA

An Approach to the Analysis of Functional Urban Regions: A Case Study of Poland

One of the principal objectives of the Human Settlement Systems Research Task is to delineate functional urban regions within the industrially-advanced nations. These regions, which exhaust the respective national territories, usually each contain an urban core and its functionally-related hinterland area. The organization of small-area data in terms of these areas provides the basis for comparative analyses of demographic and economic structure and development. These studies are intended to enhance our knowledge concerning the nature and significance of geographic differences in the structure and evolution of human settlement systems, and thus to aid policy makers concerned with these phenomena. This paper explores some of the conceptual dimensions of the notion of functional urban regions and presents a relevant delineation for Poland. Summary population, employment, and housing stock data are presented and evaluated

A Preliminary Attempt at Defining Functional Urban Regions for Poland and Related Questions

The definition of basic territorial units is a standard, although a rather important step in any spatial analysis of social and economic change. It becomes usually a problem when a comparative approach is taken. Therefore, in this paper I shall start with a brief presentation of: (a) the administrative structure of Poland and its evolution over recent decades; (b) the nature of administrative units and their relation to the structure of social and economic space; and (c) the availability of statistical data, including time series of such data, for each type of units

Urban Change and Spatial Interaction

Changing intra-urban structure and spatial interaction patterns represent a major aspect of recent urban trends. A framework is outlined in this paper for the study of interaction patterns over time by taking into account changing urban forms. The paper also attempts to trace the impact of interaction costs on the overall level of population and employment change in a city. Several conditions are discussed for the development of dynamic urban models. These conditions refer to population composition, land-use conversion, residential relocation, and the evolution of the changing function of distance in urban areas

Metropolitan Growth and Population Development at a National Level

This paper demonstrates the importance of treating urban populations as heterogeneous when making national population projections. Large metropolitan areas are shown to exhibit specific patterns of migration, age composition, and fertility when compared with urban areas as a whole. It is argued that the path of demographic change at a national scale is not independent of the urbanization scenario selected, i.e., one emphasizing the expansion of large cities or, alternatively, a balanced settlement hierarchy

On Modeling and Planning of Optimum Long-Range Regional Development

It may be assumed that the primary goal of regional policy is to contribute to .the national economic and social development. Such an approach basically differs from the concept which emphasizes the development of lagging regions, although the latter's major objective is also included in the former, more comprehensive framework. It is intended that the models discussed in this paper are used in the analysis and planning of economic and social development in the region of Lublin. In this case the development of major coal resources may be regarded as an exogenous factor whose impacts are to be anticipated and traced through the national, regional, as well as intraregional scale

Human Settlement Systems: Spatial Patterns and Trends

The papers in this volume were originally presented at a conference on the analysis of human settlement systems held at IIASA. This meeting closed an IIASA research activity, started in 1975, that had the goals of identifying functional urban regions in several industrialized countries and making comparative analyses of their population and employment trends to enhance our understanding of the spatial and temporal evolution of human settlement systems. This research on human settlement systems and strategies established a wide international collaborative network and created a sizeable data base for examining demographic and economic changes. This book presents the findings of some of this work

Migration and Settlement: 11. Poland

As part of the comparative quantitative assessment of recent migration patterns and spatial population dynamics of IIASA's 17 National Member Organization countries, this report analyzes the changing population patterns in Poland and their relations to spatial policy. The analysis focuses on regional interdependence and the role of major urban agglomerations in Poland's spatial population system

Migration and Urban Change

This paper examines the population development of large urban regions. It discusses several hypotheses pertaining to patterns of settlement change in highly urbanized countries. Such hypotheses refer to interrelations between population growth and urban size, the role of migration and natural increase as components of urban population change, the overall spatial mobility, the hierarchical migration, and the age distribution of migrants moving between, out of, and into large urban areas. Empirical material used in the analysis is derived from IIASA's Comparative Study on Migration and Settlement