The policentric regional system of Dalmatia and the role of the cities as poles of development

Abstract

The author investigates the nodal-functional structure of Dalmatian settlements and concludes that this space is characterised by a monocentrist-dispersive model of regional structure. The author arrives at this conclusion through an analysis of the number of settlements and the number of inhabitants living in the four large Dalmatian cities, in settlements of between 3 and 30 thousands inhabitants and in settlements with a populace of less than three thousand. In order to prove the working hypothesis of the paper, the author analyses the division of the populace into those living in one of the four large cities, in other municipal centers and those in other settlements. The author connects the size and significance of the settlements with their economic role within the space of Dalmatia and Croatia through an analysis of the structure and number of people employed. The affiliation of the individual regional centers with certain economic branches is determined on the basis of standardized aberrations from middle values. The author supplements his findings by introducing the concept of “pole of development” and through a specific method of evaluating the “sufficit of employment” determines the “basic activities” of the Dalmatian cities and the significance of these activities for Croatia. The article concludes with arguments for a new strategy of development for Dalmatia in which industry ought to comply with the needs of tourism and general living conditions.