ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses general theories of urban change, followed by spatial theories of urbanization. It examines urban change in relation to the process of rural change, analyzing the relationship between town and countryside from an urban point of view. Migration and the so-called demographic transition fuel the process of urban growth. Whereas in the past towns had low and even negative rates of natural increase and migration was needed in order to maintain town populations, urbanization denotes a change whereby urban life expectancy and natural growth exceed those in the rural areas and are further amplified by rural-to urban migration. The fact that towns were and are found in diverse social and economic settings has induced many social scientists to attempt to uncover common features of the town and its origins. The progressive role of the towns, coupled with a dualistic view of towncountry relations, is an issue in the Marxist debate on transition.
