90 SOCIAL SCIENTIST exclusively devoted to the detailed examination of planning and development problems of the central city of Hyderabad-Secunderadad. Land use and development policy for the metropolitan region and the central city are outlined in Part IV. The Hyderabad Metropolitan District includes two contrasting areas with distinctively different problems. On the one hand is the highly urbanized multi-functional central city, Hyderabad-Secunderabad, having a gross density of population exceeding 14,000 persons per square mile, and on the other hand are the transitory rural areas having a low density of population ranging between 300 to 500 persons per square mile. Quite naturally, in evolving an integrated rural-urban land-use policy for Hyderabad Metopolitan District, the distinguishing problems of these two areas have to be borne in mind. Correcting Imbalances The authors note a serious imbalance in the physical growth of the central city—Hyderabad-Secunderabad—caused by a radical transformation in its social and economic setting. (To this, perhaps, one may add the political transformation which has taken place since this project was completed.) Within the city there are areas of divergent social and economic characteristics running counter to each other. Their confrontation would worsen unless corrective measures are undertaken. To avoid this, the authors recommend a vacant land development policy assigning three levels of priorities. The 'economic core' of the city has shown dynamic growth tendencies whereas the 'historic core3—comprising the walled city—is languishing. In order to avoid blight and dissipation in the south and functional congestion in the north^, the authors recommend strengthening the commercial character of the economic core through shifting of administrative and social facilities and functions located in it to the historic core to give the latter a new vibration. They also advocate certain taxation measures which would go a long way to developing and revitalizing the historic core. Functional nodes—administrative and other services, trade and commerce and manufacturing—are also not properly located : in point of fact, two out of the three named above are concentrated in the economic core. These nodes have to be located at different places. With the emergence of a fairly large industrial node in the north ^, shifting of administrative and other services from the economic to the historic core would achieve this objective. In view of the wide range and complexity of the problems that are identified for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region, and perhaps also because of specialized inputs that would be needed to tackle them, the establishment of a Metropolitan Development Authority for Hyderabad, recommended by the authors, is perfectly justified. The Andhra Pradesh Government had done well in accepting this advice and establishing the Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA). One hopes that the HDA