ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the extent of the influence London has over urban system of southeast England. It explores "shadow effect" of London on the regional urban system. A constant theme in urban geography generally, and within the study of urban systems more specifically, is core-peripheral variations. The Travel to Work Areas (TTWA) is a functionally bounded urban and economic space typically used in this type of analysis and as such, 46 TTWAs act as surrogates for the polycentric urban region (PUR). Employment data for a number of important sectors was utilized across the region. The Advanced Producer Services (APS) sector and the Financial (FIRE) sector were chosen due to their strong relationship to each other and expectation that the sectors play a major role in the status of London as "global city". Advanced Producer Services are usually associated with the very large cities and the literature highlights a tendency to agglomerate in and around metropolitan centres.
