The polymorphic, multilayered and networked urbanised territory

The discussion of the network city has in recent years been supplemented by an increasing interest in reconsidering the notion of territory. Looking into both geographical and urban design theories, we find examples of a focus on how the networks of the city not only connect them irreversibly with sites and systems without any direct physical relation, but also of how this does not necessarily result in complete fragmentation and dissociation between the parts and the surrounding landscapes, as described in network city theory. By relating examples from this literature to a description of the main development characteristics of a low-profile example of a developing European urban region, Eastern Jutland in Denmark, the article contributes with a discussion of how concrete urban development perspectives in such a context can help inform the more general conceptualisation efforts developed in theory. The concept of The Polymorphic, Multilayered and Networked Urbanised Territory is introduced to grasp the reality experienced in European regions outside the largest and most potent versions of contemporary cities.