Only after the rapid period of growth following World War II has France achieved the urban level of other large Western countries, said Mr. Charles Tilly, Research associate for the Harvard-M.I.T. Joint Center for Urban Studies in a panel on "Urbanization in Modern France."

Unlike other countries, the population of urban France is centered about Paris, which is about ten times larger than Lyon, the next largest metropolitan area. The rivalry among provincial cities is greatly reduced in comparison to competition between cities in other countries, explained Mr. Tilly.

The rapid pace of urbanization since the War has created the need for extensive planning in Paris, said Mr. David Pinkney, Professor of History at the University of Missouri.

To comply with the need, the government created an administative commission in 1961. The appointment of the commission and the adoption of its twelve year plan indicate a change in perspective towards urban policy. French architects realize that they must vitalize their centuries-old outlook in matters of metropolitan planning.

Contrary to popular thought, the majority of immigrants to cities are young families making the change for professional betterment, not adolescents in search of adventure, pointed out Laurence Wylie, C. Douglas Dillon Professor of the Civilization France.

Many move because they have families or friends in the cities, said Mr. Wylie. The term 'rural' statistically includes both the people living in towns and the people in the surrounding countryside. Town inhabitants, already accustomed to a modified type of urban atmosphere, usually migrate to cities. Country people often move to another rural area.