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References 233SECONDARY CITIES have recently become the subject of renewed interestby scholars and international development organizations. Today they areno longer defined by population size, but rather by their functionalityand connectivity with global and national systems of cities, which has asignificant influence on the way they are defined.Written specially for Cities Alliance, this book investigates the role secondarycities play in the development of global regions and nations.It includes:• A literature review and redefinition of the term “secondary city” in the contextof the role they play in global and national urban systems.• A discussion of trends, influences and challenges, including the forces of NewEconomic Geography (NEG), facing the development of secondary cities indeveloping regions using a systems analysis perspective. This is dealt withunder the headings: urban governance, economic, development, social andenvironmental systems.• Fifteen regional case studies illustrate the way countries in developing regionshave approached urbanization, decentralization and other developments insupport of secondary cities development.• An examination of the role of international development assistance agencies andorganizations in supporting the development of systems of secondary cities.“This book is a significant step forward in global understanding ofthe importance of secondary cities in the development process.Brian Roberts brings several decades of on-the-ground experienceworking with governments and scholars on urban issues. As usual, hisinsights are incisive and provocative. I commend the Cities Alliance forpublishing this work and strongly recommend it to a global audience.”Michael Cohen, Director of the International Affairs Program, The New SchoolBrian H. Roberts is an urban management and regional economist specialistwith Land Equity International and Emeritus Professor at the Universityof Canberra, Australia. He has over 35 years’ experience, in more than 30countries, as a professional planner, project manager, consultant and technicaladviser, and 20 years’ association with universities in several countries. He isthe editor, author or co-author of over 110 conference papers, journal articles,chapters and books including “Urbanization and Sustainability in Asia: GoodPractice Approaches to Urban Region Development”; “Competitive Cities inthe 21st Century: Cluster-Based Local Economic Development.9 789082 261707