ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an overall conceptual framework for rural regional diagnosis and a strategy design for development intervention. It looks at the 'urban aspect of rural development', and discusses the roles of towns and cities in rural regional development. The book describes the expanding variety, complexity, scale and interconnectedness of urban economic and social functions that are needed to meet the changing requirements of agricultural production and marketing as rural regional economies undergo increasing commercialization. It examines urban-urban relations in the rural regional context, and reviews the consequences of colonial and post-colonial policies for urban systems in developing countries, noting that 'urban systems emerge to serve specific economic, social and political purposes.' The book explores types, applications and benefits of spatial analysis toward rural development planning.
