The research reported here is directed toward the determination of whether or not the proportion of a country's population living in cities of 100,000 or more is significantly affected by that country's involvement in trade relations with other countries. The proportion of a country's population living in cities of 100,000 or more was termed its level of metropolitanism. It is proposed that international variation in metropolitanism is a function of, among other things, the country's position relative to other countries in a world system of intersocietal functional linkages. It is argued that one of the best indicators of the functional linkages between countries is the volume of economic exchange made between the various nations.
The ecological approach to the study of urbanization is reviewed. The ecological approach, along with other theories of the emergence and growth of cities, postulates that urbanization in any society may be explained by thestructural characteristics of the society itself. The four characteristics of any society suggested by the ecological approach population, organization, technology, and environment are discussed in terms of their relationship with and influence on large cities. These four characteristics of societies are termed "internal factors".
White these "internal factors" are certainly of critical importance to the existence of large cities in any country, it is argued that the pressures of population growth make it necessary for the cities in the various countries to extend their boundaries and to "link-up" with other cities in other countries in order to support their populations. A primary way in which this is accomplished is seen to be the trading relations with other countries in which each country becomes involved. The cities in any country are seen to play a critical role in these trading relations. It is proposed that these trading relations will influence the extent of metropolitanism in any country.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pdx.edu/oai:pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu:open_access_etds-3564 |
| Date | 30 July 1976 |
| Creators | Lindsay, Michael Lee |
| Publisher | PDXScholar |
| Source Sets | Portland State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations and Theses |
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