Migration and the phases of population redistribution

Abstract

Major phases of population redistribution include initial urbanization, frontier expansion, traditional urbanization, overurbanization, suburbanization, and metropolitan-to-non-metropolitan turnaround. These major phases are associated with shifts in population settlement patterns as population concentrates in urban centers in response to the need for greater social and economic interaction during the early stages of development and then deconcentrates as improved transportation and communication permit much of the increased interaction to be performed at a distance. While much migration occurs during these major phases of population redistribution, some aspects of migration involve relatively minor shifts in population within a given settlement pattern. Other migration flows may lead to no population shifts but are important to study as ‘turnover’ migration providing an indication of the degree of integration of the labor markets throughout the society. Migration, population redistribution, and population settlement patterns are closely related phenomena that would benefit from a unified theoretical framework.