ABSTRACT
The urban system is a system in flux. The overall characteristics and the absolute and relative position of individual cities is constantly changing. Part of this change relates to specific government actions e.g. siting a university or an army base close to an existing settlement will lead to large multiplier effects and hence the expansion of that city's economy and population with a consequent rise in its position in the urban hierarchy. In private market societies national urban policy is guided by two factors. First, the state reacts to market forces rather than controlling them. Thus, in the United States, for example, a significant element in urban policy has been to resuscitate the economies of frostbelt cities debilitated by the flow of capital towards the sunbelt. Second, the state responds to various pressure groups with state policy reflecting the power of the different interest groups.
