ABSTRACT
Congestion in a region implies the presence in it of too many people. The working of that region's economy, or conditions of life in it, is less satisfactory than they would be with a smaller population. However, it is necessary to look rather more closely at what is meant, or what might properly be meant, by congestion in urban areas. Urban communities grow not only by immigration but by natural increase of the populations already within them. The very broad theoretical considerations seem to suggest that there is, indeed, a considerable probability that urban aggregations may grow 'too big'. Diverting growth away from them may become a legitimate object of policy. Regional policy's part in diverting growth from the south- east to assisted areas, and the Greater London Council's policy of slum clearance and overspill. Similarly, policy measures must be held responsible for a good deal of the restraint in the growth of the Paris region.
