Progress in Planning S.

1 total work

Counterurbanization in Britain and Italy

by Mike Coombes, Remo Dalla Longa, and Simon Raybould

Published May 1989

A brief review of the early counterurbanisation literature, primarily transatlantic, suggests that the concept is poorly specified. A core definition is proposed by counterposing the notions of 'spillover' and 'clean break' - this is then refined through a structured critique of alternative hypotheses of the causes of counterurbanisation. Even the most robust causal mechanisms identified (shifts in the production sector and the role of the state) suffer from attempts to generalise them across time and space. The empirical analysis illustrates the limitations of 'universal' models when confronted with the different urban and industrial history and trends within and between Italy and Britain.