ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the important theoretical arguments which have recently addressed the subject of urban-rural interaction. Three basic and interrelated ideas have dominated of the literature on urban-rural links in development planning since the late 1950s: the growth pole concept, the distinction between top-down and bottom-up development, and the conceptualisation of cities as being either parasitic or generative. The recent works of Michael Lipton, D. A. Rondinelli, and W. B. Stohr and D. R. F. Taylor provide a range of theoretical standpoints from which to view urban-rural interaction. A key feature of Lipton's arguments is brought into doubt, and consequently it is necessary to question the whole edifice of 'urban bias', which is predicated upon the existence of the classes. Rondinelli suggests that if governments in developing countries wish to achieve widespread development, they must develop a geographically dispersed pattern of investment. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
