URBAN FIELDS IN THE MAKING: NEW EVIDENCE FROM A DANISH CONTEXT

This paper analyses the development of the scale of spatial interaction in Denmark and its consequences for commute patterns around the country's two largest cities. The methods used are GIS-based mapping of commuter flows and analysis of the changing correlation between centrality and commuting from 1982 to 2002. The distances bridged by commuting and the size of functional regions have expanded markedly. The consequences for commute patterns depend on the regional context. In the case of the capital area, the expanding scale of interaction is equivalent to an expanded commuter field around the capital. The significance of the centre of the capital for commuting has increased from 1982 to 2002. In the case of East Jutland, where many mid-sized historical centres are located close to each other, the development is in the direction of a polycentric urban region with decreased significance of any single centre in attracting and focusing the commute pattern.