Regional Specialization and Urban Development in England during the Industrial Revolution*

The Industrial Revolution led to the formation of a clear regional specialization in terms of production in England. Northwestern England developed into a modern industrial area, where the secondary industry sector was the main sector. London and its periphery in southeastern England developed mainly domestic and foreign trade, the financial industry and high-level service industry, all of which belong to the tertiary industry sector. The vast intermediate area between the northwest and the southeast mainly developed the first industry sector, namely commercial corn-animal husbandry. This regional economic specialization had a profound impact on urban development, under which the development of the three major regions showed different characteristics in terms of urban functions, city size and regional urban system. Specially, in the intermediate zone, there left traces of rural towns in the pre-industrial period.