Preliminary efforts to extend central place theory to the internal structure of cities

have not been successful in developing an adequate theoritical framework for spatial
organization at all scales. One result of this divergence has been that students of regional
planing use substantially different vocabulary and a different set of concepts from urbanists.
At the same time, theoretical considerations lead them to identify problems in a different way,
quite aside from any institutional considerations.
But the field of regional planning study must now be defined with greater precision. The
process of planning may, in general, be regarded as one which leads to the formulation and
clarification of goals and to they ultimate reduction to specific courses of action, programs,
and projects. Thus, our earlier definition may be extended to say that regional planning is the
process of formulating and clarifying social objectives in the ordering of activities in supraurban space. The basic question, therefore, is : how are activities to be distributed in space
so as to meet social objectives? Alternatively, what are the proper social objectives in
accordance with which activities are to be allocated in space? This formulation links regional
planning to its basis in the pure theory of location without, however , achieving an identity.
THE SPECTRUM OF SPATIAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES
The better to understand what the professionally trained regional planner might be
asked to do in a specific situation, and to show the relation of regional planning to planning at
city and national levels, we shall consider the total spectrum of coordinated spatial planning
activities that might be brought into existence in ahypothetical society. In this fashion, it will
possible to show the extent to which regional planning as a field of study may be usefully
distinguished from other forms of spatial palnning.
To begin with, general policy issues would predominate at the national level. What
principles should guide the geographic allocation of resources within the country? To the
extent to which there is national planning and budgeting may be considered as a limiting case
of such planning there will inevitably be spatial implications of any set of resource
allocations. The problem of spatial resource allocation may, of course, be treated entirely on a
short term, political basis; but if it is to be guided by foresight, a review of the available
alternatives, and a clear vision of the public interest, the problem is essentially one for
planning. In policy planning, the technical, economic, and political elements are closely
intertwined.