Five guidelines for local service centres

The paper is a critical literature review aiming at synthesising knowledge on shaping the service sector in urbanised areas. Starting from classical concepts of hierarchical service systems (Christaller, Losch, Palomaki, Nowakowski) through considerations on the impact of teleinformatics on the services sector, to contemporary research on hierarchical-network spatial and functional structures (Ossowicz), the paper points to the role which can be played by local service centres in spatial planning. The five guidelines for urban planning describe crucial conditions which have to be met in order to generate a positive influence on land-use and the quality of life in urban neighbourhoods. The guidelines may be a starting point for empirical research and may play an inspiring role in local policy in urbanised areas.