Urban research methods/ edited by Jack P.Gibbs

POINTING the way toward rigor ous study of any city or metropoli tan area, this comprehensive volume provides the basic tools of urban re search. It systematically sets forth the major scientific problems concerning cities and urbanization, and describes methods especially suited for their investigation.

The first four of the book's seven parts describe methods which apply to individual cities. Here such prob lems as urban boundaries, spatial structure, and the economic aspects of cities are explored in depth. Twenty five articles demonstrate effective ways to delimit urban boundaries, measure population density and distribution, analyze the spatial structure of cities, measure the growth of an urban popu lation, and study the economic base of a city.
In the last three parts, the scope of investigation broadens. Eleven articles are devoted to urbanization at the national or regional level: characteristics of urbanization, relationships among cities, and rural-urban differences and interrelations.

The volume has been carefully planned for the student without pre vious research experience as well as for the professional concerned with city planning, human ecology, demog raphy, geography, and economics. An introduction to each part systematical ly summarizes the main ideas, and abundant use of specific examples il lustrates the application of research methods.