ABSTRACT
Many countries and cities maintain a regional planning tradition connecting the functioning of large metropolitan centres, regional settlements and rural land through systems of integrated governance. Regional planning allows cities to relate pressures for growth on city fringes to opportunities for urban intensification and regional centre growth through a network city policy. Such planning at its best integrates spatial and sectoral policy. Urban growth boundaries and green belt policy are examples of integrated spatial and sectoral policy which limit growth on urban fringes to promote more efficient urban land use and protect rural resources. Yet, pressures on peripheral urban (peri-urban) land continue globally in both developed and developing countries. These pressures generally take two forms, small rural lot subdivision and the proliferation of urban uses such as residential, commercial and industrial uses and infrastructure.
