ABSTRACT
The history of urban growth in Italy is characterized by a series of contrasts. Unlike many other European countries, the development of a hierarchy of urban centres preceded industrialization[l] and yet the expansion of Italy's cities this century has been somewhat sluggish (table 3.1), reflecting a slow economic growth in the country as a whole. In the historical evolution of urban systems, two distinct phases can be identified. The first, which began with the unification of Italy in 1861 and ended with the outbreak of World War II, was marked by a generally uniform growth in urban centres within the regional state system. Then, in the postwar era, a more rapid urban growth has seen the emergence of 'metropolitan' centres and the heightening of contrasts between the highly urbanized conurbations and the depopulated rural areas, and between the 'developed' and 'undeveloped' regions of the country.
