ABSTRACT
The author wants to substitute the term metropolitan region for the term city when used in a sociological context. The structure of governance in a metropolitan region has three primary dimensions: It is a vertical dimension, It involves the fundamental relationship between the state government and the constituent local governments within its jurisdiction, It is horizontal and involves the fundamental relationships between the local governments within a metropolitan area, It is also horizontal but involves the fundamental relationships between important constituent groups within a metropolitan area, such as civic groups and institutions, private businesses acting in the public domain, and mobilized citizens acting in a wide variety of capacities. He presents a review of the emerging work that is being done on the study of the metropolitan region. Conceptualizing the notion of a vertical dimension to the structure of regional governance has proved helpful in assessing, among other issues, its role in local economic development.
