Testing the differential urbanisation model for Italy

The evolution of urban systems is playing a key role in the social and economic processes of developed societies. In Italy many stages of the urban transition are concentrated in the period following the Second World War. The contribution describes the evolution of the Italian urban system, considering different units of analysis and using data on population change as well as data on internal migration. The underlying notion is the concept of differential urbanization formulated by Geyer and Kontuly. The process of urbanisation shows different patterns of evolution depending on the unit of analysis. Using the Local Labour Market Areas the Italian urban system show a clear pattern of population concentration from 1921 to 1971, and different stages of polarisation reversal in the following decades. The results show the importance of the underlying concepts in the analysis and interpretation of the urbanisation process.