The Intermediate Socioeconomic Zone: A Comparative Analysis Of Sweden And North Carolina

The concept of development as a continuum between urban growth centers and underdeveloped peripheries dates back to the late 1950's. Although long overshadowed by the bipolar model, the continuum model holds much promise for the field of regional development. Regional planners, however, have focused on developing marginal areas either by a) investing heavily in peripheral regions whose socioeconomic structure cannot adequately sustain growth or b) channeling development funds into urban cores in the hopes that growth will trickle down to marginal areas. Both strategies have been largely unsuccessful, thus giving impetus for the search for an alternative strategy.