ABSTRACT
No human settlement, except perhaps the remotest jungle-bound or desert village, is self-contained in that only residents use it. In contrast, the typical town is used in part by residents and in part by others who visit for various activities (work, education, recreation); and some of the town’s residents will travel outside for some of their activities (work, recreation). Any town can thus be defined in relation to this functional crisscrossing of “urban activities”. This definition in itself must bring in the hinterland in which the town functions, i.e. its subregion. Together they make up the “urban and regional system”.
