ABSTRACT
The character and conditions of urban development in Switzerland serve as a useful illustration of urban development throughout western and central Europe. The one main difference is that in. Switzerland there has been no great urban increase as a result of the development of the coal and iron and other heavy industries. Down to our own day the primary factor in urban growth has been commerce, and the modern growth of commerce and industry has crystallized around the already existing historic centres. The distribution of the towns is shown on Fig. 11.
