ABSTRACT
Urban phases — theoretically and practically — reflect preparatory and accompanying structural changes in urban areas and in their relation to larger systems. Urban typologies normally skirt theoretical issues of change because typologies are devised to classify or pigeonhole large numbers of cities either for very narrow or indefinable time periods. The most popular form of urban typology, understandably in the Western world, emphasizes urban economic patterns and influences Timms Duncan and associates limit their analysis to US cities, but the classification can be applied to other developed nations with little difficulty. Essentially, Duncan's typology employs two dimensions: dominant economic activity and area of economic influence. The earliest and perhaps the most crucial phase of urban functioning is essentially protective in nature, concerned with the assurance of safety and emotional welfare for a relatively large, concentrated population. Urban power and social organization thus emphasize adaptation to the immediate geosociological environment and to a culturally associated supernatural environment.
