On the characteristics and the development trends of the metropolitan regions of Germany

Metropolitan areas in Germany manifest a distinct polycentric spatial structure.This paper firstly defines briefly the concept of polycentrism,and then analyzes the spatial structure of Germany metropolitan areas and their changes from the national perspective.It explains the federal policies and proposals for the development of these areas.And this paper also uses Rhine-Ruhr and Berlin-Brandenburg as examples to specify the characteristics,issues and development strategies of metropolitan areas from urban regional perspective.