Do cities Grow in Isolations-Metropolitan Expansion and Urban Corridors

The major contention of this paper is that inter-urban interaction is a definite factor in the growth of metropolitan areas, A brief review of current models of metropolitan growth will reveal that most of them work under the assumption of growth in isolation, neglecting the interaction factor. It is proposed in this paper that the concept of urban corridors reflects this interaction, and can be applied to the study of urban growth. The development of this concept is reviewed and then applied to a particular study area to test its relationship to patterns of expansion. Geography teachers must concern themselves with such problems as explanation and interpretation of urban growth patterns in order to prepare present and future citizens for life in this urban age.