The Evolution of the Designations: Regional Science, Regional Science Association and the Field of Regional Science

Abstract

As already noted, the group of regional researchers who came together in 1950 and earlier years were primarily regional economists. The signal December 1950 meeting was in effect an appendage to the annual convention of the American Economics Association. Only a few geographers, engineers and city planners were present. Then the major concerns of the group were: (1) increasing the stock of available relevant data; (2) improved data processing; and (3) identifying types of meaningful regions for which to attack diverse regional problems. The first major group effort (unsuccessful) was concentrated on having the Social Science Research Council support a Committee on Regional Economic Studies. All the members of the Working Committee set up for this purpose were economists.