ABSTRACT
It is widely recognised that cities are characterised by a range of problems: atmospheric pollution, long journeys to work, congestion in public facilities and poor access to these facilities in many areas, sub-standard housing, pockets of high unemployment, rising incidence of crime, and so on. Some analysts talk of an “urban crisis” (Stilwell, 1979). What are the origins of these problems? One possible consequence of an examination of such problems from a specialist discipiine of ‘urban studies’ is the attribution of their cause to the character of urban structure itself. The issue of causation is vital. To use Alonso’s phrasing, it is tempting to interpret all problems manifest in cities as problems of cities (Alonso, 1971). However, it is important to ask whether the problems arise from spatial considerations, for example, city size, the spatial structure of the cities or inadequate planning of urban development. Or are the problems due to other causes and their appearance in spatial form merely a manifestation of these less obvious causes? Can we posit distinctive effects due to (a) the effects of the inherited environments, both physical and human-made, (b) the imperatives of the mode of production, (c) the impact of the state apparatus and (d) the role of space per se? In general, is the spatial character of ‘urban and regional’ problems causal or symptomatic?
