ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the changes affecting the core areas of metropolitan regions in advanced countries. It begins by placing contemporary trends in the context of the changing geography of population and employment, both urban and rural. It then be followed by an examination of the evolving internal structure of metropolitan regions concentrating, in particular, on the process of decentralisation. The decentralisation of activities within metropolitan areas during the last 30 years has fundamentally altered their spatial structure. The suburbanisation process is strong and Friedrichs (1982) has described how rival sub-centres emerge and compete with the city centre, leading to its possible debilitation. A simple model, which assumes no physical impediments to outward growth such as hills or water, suggests a concentric structure of growth rings. It concludes with an analysis of the evolving form of metropolitan areas, likely future trends and the underlying causes of the changes noted.
