The changing urban hierarchical system in Peninsular Malaysia 1957-1970

Abstract

From their colonial past , many of the emerging new nations of the Third World, including Malaysia, have inherited unique multi -racial ethnic population compositions, with marked racial and regional imbalances in urbanization and socio-economic development. Since independence, these nations have strived for t he emergence of another type of urban-economic system through nationally directed programs of planned change . In these nations , a new form of spatial integration and a different system of cities have become emergent. Given the unique multi-ethnic population and its related socio-economic structure in such new nations including Malaysia , it is insufficient to deal mainly with such urban structural changes as urban size and rates per se when discussing the urbanization process .Major attention and focus must be given to the quality of the development process , especially the extent to which changes in the socio-economic as well as urban structures have differentially affected each of the various racial- ethnic groups comprising these nations. This paper examines the empirical evidence provided by pas t research that have addressed such issues related to urbanization in Malaysia. Based upon the major theoretical notions regarding urbanization and economic development major research propositions have been formulated to examine the changing urban structure of Peninsular Malaysia. Specifically, changes of the systems of urban hierarchy in terms of conformity to the Rank Size Rule has been examined.