Environmental determinism and the metropolitan areas

In his analysis of the relationship between economic development and spatial structure at the extra-urban level, Friedman makes a compelling argument: The spatial organization of each national economy evolves from a pre-industrial state to a mature industrial state. The different stages of the economy's transition can be broken down into several distinct phases.

1-   Pre-industrial stage: cities functioned independently from one another.

2-   Transitional stage: During the initial phases of industrialization, a primary urban center exercises control over the entire national economy.

3-   Industrial stage: a change from a center-periphery dynamic to one where the peripheries of large cities replaced the national frame.

4-   Post-industrial stage: A "Correlated" functional system of cities emerges. The periphery between major cities disappears and the national economy achieves greater spatial unity and integration, In turn, this reduces imbalances between regions and ensures communication facilities are more easily accessible throughout the country.

Factors of transformation

The city serves as a unifying and stabilizing force in the process of development. Developing urban areas on the outskirts can improve resource utilization and increase accessibility to scattered parts of the economic space. Social diversity and heterogeneity within urban areas give rise to a #distinctive #urban #character. In this character, rationality supersedes traditionalism, and the necessity for change supplants the wish to uphold traditions. Urban change refers to alterations in land use, the shape of constructions, and the overall spatial configuration of cities. These changes are prompted by advancements in communication technology and a change in work patterns, urban policies, cultural norms, family structure, and neighborhood relationships.

As the development process continues, the transfer of economic activities from cities to the surrounding areas and the formation of residential suburbs become common. Population migration flows from big cities to the suburbs. Big cities lose their population and small and medium-sized cities attract people. As small and medium cities and towns undergo demographic changes, their urban services also transform. In the meantime, the factor of "#architectural or #environmental #determinism" exacerbates certain social problems associated with urban development, including poverty, unemployment, family breakdown, ethnic minority issues, and an aging population. These are all phenomena that the developed world experienced during the industrialization stage.

Telecom highways

In the current post-industrial era, the advancement of communication technology such as telecom and electronic highways has transformed cities into the hub of the "#information #economy". The change in building and house-building technology and the mass production of prefabricated parts have had a great impact on changing the form and spatial structure of cities. Social change and the phenomenon of formation and gaining power of the middle class have created a significant change in the physical appearance and spatial structure of cities. "#Activity #zones" policies have led to more developments in cities and the process of replacing working-class neighborhoods with young middle-class workers has been formed. New arrivals renovate buildings in old neighborhoods. Innovation, of which technological change is also a part, takes place in the city because it is in the city that there is a wide range of information. Innovation is nothing but a new and appropriate combination of existing elements to build new structures. Specialization and differentiation, both in the economy, society, and culture, are the source of innovation, and the city, as a center of expertise, differentiation, and diversity in this field, is the location of this type of new combinations and innovation, and in other words, development. Agents of change and transformation include intellectuals, managers, and innovative and pioneering employers.