Urban Geography: City Structures

Abstract

Three types of work characterize the study of city structures, according to my earlier paper on this topic (Johnston, 1977). Two of them (neoclassical-functional description and the behavioural approach) are well-established and work continues to be produced along conventional lines (Herbert and Johnston, 1976a; 1976b); the third (institutional approaches) is relatively novel and is still in a formative stage. The latter is the focus in the present review, and attention is paid both to the nature of research and to the conflict between traditional geographical approaches and the procedures of contemporary urban theorists.