| Abstract: | A matrix technique is used to determine levels of development of urban places within a system. This classification of places is based on two criteria: (1) the degree of development of the city's production complex; (2) its role in the geographical division of labor, based on the extent of its external relations (local, regional, national, foreign). The city's production complex is analyzed in terms of energy-and-production cycles, which are groups of technologically interrelated industries (as defined by N. N. Kolosovskiy). Points are assigned to individual production cycles within a city on the basis of the level of development of the particular cycle and the extent of its external relations. The points assigned to each cycle are then added up for a total number of points for the city. The urban places are then arranged in increasing order of points. Threshold values are determined to separate the set of places into levels of development, ranging from rudimentary producers of raw materials to fully integrated polyfunctional cities with wide-flung external relations. A condensed explanation of the technique appeared parenthetically in Soviet Geography, September 1969, pp. 375–377 |
