Regional development and urban dynamics

Abstract

Regional development-and in a more general sense, spatial-economic dynamics-has already a long history in economic and geographical thinking. In the early history of economics, differences in resource availability were often seen as the major cause of spatial disparities. Wars and political turbulence were often the consequence of the struggle for natural resources (gold, oil, coal, etc.). In a more peaceful way, international or interregional trade acted as mechanism to create mutual welfare benefits from unequal availability of resources, without resorting to political or military violence (see also Pirenne 1927 for a broad historical overview).