The case study of the city of Oslo and the region of Viken discusses different alternative policies for large-scale spatial urban development. The study can be considered in terms of the different "worlds" of problems in urban development. These are: the empirically based understanding and conceptual definition of development trends in regional urban systems, the discussion of ideals and models for urban development in relation to spatial, functional, cultural and political implications, and alternative ambitions for governmental influence and alternative policies. The City of Oslo and the Viken region may be defined differently in terms of geography. Within its municipality borders Oslo is inhabited by a population of half million people. The model applied to Oslo implies that urban development is concentrated more or less within the existing agglomeration of Oslo. The circumference of the medieval city of Oslo is buried under heavy technical infrastructure in the harbour areas of the city.