ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the traditional social science that urge to generalize about urbanization. It indicates how an understanding of the semi-periphery can contribute to the study of Third World urbanization. The chapter delineates some of the essential characteristics of the semi-periphery and discussing how they are likely to affect urbanization. It proposes some hypotheses on how urbanization in the semi-periphery and periphery differ. The chapter examines a pattern of urbanization which appears to be common to much of the semi-periphery. Urbanization is a dynamic process that is irrevocably intertwined with other aspects of economic, social, and political development. The rise of an international political economy perspective on the 'dependent city' appears to offer this type of comprehensive, theoretically grounded approach to urbanization. The dependency/world-system approach suggests that countries' processes of urbanization and urban development are intrinsically related to the roles they play in the world economy.
