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For many decades of the 20th century particular cities and towns were understood as integral parts of national and international urban systems. For many years the theory on central places and hierarchy of central places, first developed by Christaller and amended by Loesch, had a decisive influence on spatial research and regional development policies with guiding principles for urbanisation and the development of settlement patterns. However it is becoming ever more evident, that the planned effects of concepts for harmonising intra- and inter-regional differences were not reached. Moreover, inter-regional competition between neighbouring municipalities, as well as modern life styles and residential choices have caused the emergence of new settlement structures with dispersed spatial patterns and string functional ties. It is also true, that urban networking isn’t an easy task and that it inherently carries numerous obstacles.

Kar nekaj desetletij 20. stoletja so posamezna velemesta in mesta razumeli kot sestavne elemente državnih in meddržavnih naselbinskih sistemov. Mnogo let je teorija centralnih krajev in hierarhije centralnih krajev, ki jo je prvotno razvil Christaller, dopolnil pa Loesch, odločilno vplivala na prostorske raziskave in regionalne razvojne politike z usmerjevalnimi načeli urbanizacije in razvoja naselbinskih vzorcev. Toda čedalje bolj nedvoumno postaja, da načrtovani učinki koncepta, tj. uravnavanje intra- in interregionalnih razlik, niso bili doseženi. Še več, intraregionalno tekmovanje med sosednjimi občinami, pa tudi sodobni življenjski slogi in bivanjske izbire so povzročili nastanek novih naselbinskih struktur razpršenih prostorskih vzorcev in močnih funkcionalnih povezav. Prav tako je nedvoumno, da urbano omreženje ni preprosta naloga in da nosi v sebi številne težave.