A short history of the field of regional science

Abstract

The Regional Science Association was founded 50 years ago in December 1954; however, the institutional origins of the field were much earlier, perhaps when Walter Isard began his graduate studies in economics at Harvard University. This article briefly traces the history of the field of regional science and its association from those beginnings to the present. The focus of the article is the evolution of the association as an institution, and some of its major contributors, and to a much lesser extent, on the scope and scholarly content of the field.

In mid-1968, Walter Isard invited me to join him in the organisational work of the Regional Science Association. As we had not worked together before, I was actually quite surprised to be asked. Somehow this role worked well for me, and I hope it has served well all who have been impacted. On this occasion I want to express my profound appreciation to Walter, and to all regional scientists for the opportunity to serve you. These 35 years have been a wonderful experience for me, and I look forward to many more. Although this article was invited by the guest-editors of Papers in Regional Science, Walter has been urging me for the past two years to make time to write my part of the History. This article represents my first effort in this direction, and I hope to follow it soon with a sequel to his History (Isard 2003). His manuscript was one essential source for this article. Other sources were comments on earlier versions by several individuals. In particular, I wish to thank Peter Batey and David Plane for helpful and insightful comments.

Responsibility for the accuracy and interpretation of events lies with me alone. If you believe I have erred, or misrepresented the facts, I want to hear from you. Please write to me at the above address.