The contributors to this festschrift honour the ideas of T.R. Lakshmanan, whose notion of spatial interdependency forms the basis for this study on the impact of a range of factors in modern societies that reduce the distances between places, spaces and people.

The consequences of these changes in spatial interdependencies are analysed with regard to spatial equilibrium patterns for urban regions and systems of regions; the distribution of economic activities and population; productivity change; and growth and morbidity patterns. In this context several contributions focus on the size of an urban region and its market potentials. Does the importance of size change when interregional links for interaction are improved? Are networks inside a region evolving into a bottleneck problem for future development? At the same time the contributions elaborate theory and methods by examining hierarchical fields of internal and external influence on regional change; sources of productivity growth in a network of industries; adaptive behaviour in transport decisions; and endogenous growth and development policies. The book ends with an assessment of plan evaluation methodologies for a changing and globalizing world characterized by new economic networks and networking arrangements.

Introduction - interdependencies of spatial development, Ake E. Andersson, William P. Anderson, Borje Johansson
disappearing distance in city systems, Makoto Okumura, Kiyoshi Kobayashi
spatial equilibrium with cities and rural areas, Wei-Bin Zhang
hierarchical fields of influence of spatial exchange, Michael Sonis, Geoffrey J.D. Hewings, Nuzal Achjar
estimating sources of regional manufacturing productivity using shift-share extensions, Kingsley E. Haynes, Mustafa Dinc, Jean H.P. Paelinck
"place" as "network" - applications of network theory to local communities, Roger E. Bolton
the spatial structure of the city - a North American perspective on trends, prospects and research directions, William P. Anderson
behavioural adaptations to traffic congestion, Robert E. Skinner, Jr
a simultaneous model of long-term regional job and population changes, Ingvar Holmberg, Borje Johansson, Ulf Stromquist
economic development and health patterns, David E. Andersson
growth and development policy under economic globalization, Ake E. Andersson
on the processes generating impacts from transportation improvements - the impacts of air transportation on recreation tourism, William L. Garrison, David Gillen, Christopher R. Williges
transportation and energy policy - retrospect and prospect, David L. Greene
plan evaluation methodologies - some aspects of decision requirements and analytical response, Wilbur A. Steger, T.R. Lakshmanan.