Yes, it can. But please provide more context to your question.

Yes, cities drive regional development by serving as hubs for innovation, economic growth, cultural exchange, and infrastructure connectivity.

Try to define whether your Ph.D. dissertation will be either theoretical or empirical.

Take a look at the following fields: Urban Economics, Urban Geography, Urban Studies, Urban Ecology, City and Regional Planning.

More specifically, look into Static and Dynamic Central Place Theory.

Cities, especially Primate Cities, are closely linked to the development of the region they belong to or are affected by.

All the best!

Dear Fausat Damilare

I have been studying urban issues for some time now, and one of the main issues related to your question is the terminological confusion between Development, Growth, or Expansion. To be clearer, when we talk about cities, or even urban space, it is necessary to understand that the three terms listed are each used for a specific aspect of the region, for example:

1) Development = set of services, health, environment, infrastructure coexisting in order to optimize and even ensure a better quality of life for the inhabitants of the region;

2) Expansion = Expansion of the urban fabric, expanding the urban area of ​​a given city, districts, etc.

3) Growth = term used in connection with the population growth of a city/region.

That said, I hope you understand one detail: if you want to understand whether the city promotes development, you must first analyze it from the perspective of the three terms listed above. We have a recent study that I can share, although it is in Portuguese, I suggest the translation.

www.researchgate.net/publication/378264173_DESENVOLVIMENTO_CRESCIMENTO_E_EXPANSAO_URBANA_IMPLICACOES_SOCIOESPACIAIS_DO_AUMENTO_DE_EDIFICACOES_EM_UMA_CIDADE_DE_PEQUENO-MEDIO_PORTE

periodicos.pucminas.br/index.php/geografia/article/view/30117

Las ciudades juegan un papel importante en el desarrollo de una región porque es existe la "complementariedad urbano - territorial", entendida como el conjunto de relaciones de complementariedad productiva, funcional y física entre el centro urbano y su territorio de influencia; la reducción de la huella ecológica de aquél en cuanto a recursos, consumos y emisiones; y la interdependencia existente entre las diferentes escalas y espacios del territorio regional y local con las ciudades.

Dicha "complementariedad urbano territorial" es uno de los 9 componentes del "desarrollo urbano sostenible", que se tiene que optimizar, y ello requiere la implementación de propuestas de acondicionamiento territorial sostenible y de crecimiento urbano.

Cabe especificar que el “desarrollo urbano sostenible” debe ser entendido como un proceso de cambio integral, multisectorial y positivo en los centros urbanos, orientado hacia mejores condiciones de vida, que implica la conjugación equilibrada de 9 componentes básicos: complementariedad urbano-territorial, competitividad urbana, funcionalidad urbana, calidad urbanística y paisajística, sustentabilidad ambiental, gestión de riesgos de desastres, equidad social urbana, identidad cultural, y gobernanza urbana. (Castillo, 2010, 2018, 2021)

Referencias Bibliográficas:

Castillo, Rodolfo. 2010. “Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible: Una Aproximación Teórica y una Propuesta Operativa”. Revista PAIDEIA XXI, Volumen 1 / Nº 1: 45-58. Escuela de Posgrado, Universidad Ricardo Palma. Lima, Perú.

https://revistas.urp.edu.pe/.../article/view/2366/2411

Castillo, Rodolfo. 2018. “Hacia una Política Pública de Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible en el Perú”. Revista PAIDEIA XXI, 8 / N° 1: 139-160. Escuela de Posgrado, Universidad Ricardo Palma. Lima, Perú.

https://revistas.urp.edu.pe/.../article/view/2041/2116

Castillo, Rodolfo. 2021. “Evolución de la Planificación Urbana en el Perú 1946 - 2021”. Revista PAIDEIA XXI, 11 / Nº 1: 79-112. Escuela de Posgrado, Universidad Ricardo Palma. Lima, Perú.

https://revistas.urp.edu.pe/.../article/view/3783/4751

Many studies use Thiessen polygon construction to show that cities are economic engines. each city is a discrete point with an area of influence. the polygons involve a region into a number of separate territories each of which focus on a separate city. The density of the number of cities indicates the density of economic activity, This uses as a given that more economic activity and therefore "value" occurs in cities and not rural areas. Doing a literature review of these studies may help you derive an answer to your question.

the cities that concentrate the majority of the key functions of the country’s economy can be a motor for the development of its region with the launch of projects in the agricultural or industrial field according to the potentielites of the region