Differentiation of Growth Processes in the Peri-urban Region: An Australian Case Study

Abstract

Throughout the developed world, population growth has become spatially concentrated in the peri-urban regions surrounding major urban centres. However, the distinctive population geography of this growth zone remains underresearched. The aim of this paper is to contribute towards a clearer understanding of the dynamics of the migration process in the peri-urban region. It is suggested that peri-urban growth represents the combined effects of four growth processes (suburbanisation, counterurbanisation, population retention, centripetal migration), each of which acts somewhat differently on particular population sub-groups and locations. In the context of Adelaide's peri-urban region, this paper utilises micro-level survey data to assess the complex nature of migration processes across the peri-urban region.