Control and Coordination Links in the Metropolitan System of Cities: The South as Case Study

Abstract

Control and coordination linkages are integral features of the system of cities, but few studies have directly measured them. This study examines the structure and degree of these linkages in the context of ecological theory. The results provide support for the hypotheses derived from the theory. Linkages are hierarchically organized, and the regional metropolis and higher-level metropolises at the national scale occupy pivotal positions as intermediaries for lower-level metropolises. Although national links are important, interurban links that include the regional metropolis and its hinterland cities remain a major factor in the system of cities even in a society that is often characterized as shifting from a locallregional to a national orientation. Metropolitan interdependence is an integral feature of the control and coordination function of metropolises, but few studies have explicitly examined intermetropolitan linkages in the context of the ecological theory of the system of cities.1 Most linkages fall into two broad categories. The first includes control and coordination links; these typically involve the exercise of authority and power relations. The bases of differential authority and power derive from variable access to economic resources such as capital, specialized business information, and exceptional business skills. Examples of these control and coordination links are the management ties between corporate headquarters and lower levels of the corporation, the flow of orders between retailers and wholesalers, and the financial ties between banks. The second broad category includes the physical linkages which are controlled and coordinated by metropolises; these are chiefly transportation-based, such as commodity flows and business travel.