ABSTRACT
The first three stages of Urban Functions in Rural Development are primarily concerned with data collection, organization and preliminary analysis. The three following phases focus on presenting, interpreting and applying the information gathered for the regional profile, settlement system and spatial linkage analyses. In phases four through six of the UFRD approach, the information is summarized in maps, charts, tables and other graphic presentations. The maps and data are analyzed together in order to determine the accessibility of settlements and functions for people living in various parts of the region. The analyses are then used to identify functional “gaps” in various services, facilities, infrastructure and productive activities, and to delineate the service areas of existing settlements. In some cases, regional planners are interested in identifying marginal or peripheral areas that do not have sufficient numbers of central places to serve their residents, where access to functions is weak or nonexistent, and where linkages among settlements are poorly developed. Combined with more detailed economic and technical studies, sectoral analyses, or “demand analyses,” the information about the settlement system can be used to help develop regional investment strategies and to identify specific projects for particular settlements or areas.
