WEEK 12 TOPIC: CENTRAL PLACE THEORY

Christaller's Central Place Theory

The theory was originally published in 1933 by a German geographer Walter Christaller who studied the settlement patterns in southern Germany.

Central Place Theory (CPT)

• is an attempt to explain the spatial arrangement, size, and number of settlements.

• By examining and defining the functions of the settlement structure and the size of the hinterland he found it possible to model the pattern of settlement locations using geometric shapes.

Central Place

is a settlement which provides one or more services for the population living around it.

Low order

Simple basic services (e.g. grocery stores)

High order

specialized services (e.g. universities)

Having a high order service implies there are _________________, but _____________

low order services around it, but not vice versa.

Low order settlements

Settlements which provide low order services

High order settlements

Settlements that provide high order services

Sphere of influence

is the area under influence of the Central Place.

Central Place Theory Basic Concepts

1. Threshold

2. Range of Good or Services

Threshold

the minimum population that is required to bring about the provision of certain good or services

Range of good or services

the average maximum distance people will travel to purchase goods and services

Arrangement of the Central places/ settlements:

As transport is equally easy in all direction, all central place will have a circular market. However, as proposed by Christaller, he suggested the hexagonal shape. There will be equidistance from each other. There will be equidistance. The higher order settlements will be further apart than the lower order ones.

The three principles in the arrangement of the central places

1. The Marketing Principle (K=3 system)

2. The Transport Principle (K=4 system)

3. The Administrative Principle (K=7 system)

The Marketing Principle

Lower is the order, Larger is the number of settlements.

The higher the order, the greater is the area served

The Transportation Principle

Depends on the traffic route. Centers are located at the midpoint of each side of the hexagon rather than at the corner.

The Administrative Principle

The six lower order centers are full subordinate to the higher order

Evaluation of Central-Place Theory

1. Production may vary due to economies of scale and natural resource endowments

2. Transportation costs are not equal in all directions

3. Rural Markets (Households) are not evenly distributed

4. Non Economic factors (culture, politics, leadership) important, but not evenly distributed

5. Competitive practices may lead to freight absorption and phantom freight

Advantages of Central Place Theory

1. No other economic theory explains why there is a hierarchy or urban centers

2. Heilbrun wrote: A hierarchy is a systematic arrangement of the classes of an object. THe CP hierarchy provides the relationship between a center place and Tributary areas (higher and lower areas)

3. Does a good job of describing the location of trade and service activity

Why does Christaller’s model will never be found in the real world?

• Changes that happened over time

• Large areas of flat lands are rare

• People vary their shopping trends, not always going to the nearest center.

• People or resources are never perfectly distributed

Application to Economic Development of CPT:

1. Average transportation cost per purchase are lowered by multipurpose shopping trips

2. The consumers are more likely to shop at multiple locations on a single trip

3. Spatial clustering also deals with demographic characteristics

4. Many producers wanted to locate far from their competitors, but firms recognized the advantages of having your competitor in an adjacent location

5. The development of central places depends on factors such as transport costs, expenditure shares for relevant goods and cost characteristics of stores

6. Planning commissions focused more on industrial recruitment rather than retail-sector.

Central Place Theory (Political Boundary)

Who introduced Core Periphery Model

John Friedman

Who is John Friedman

is one of the pioneering urban theorists of the late twentieth century. He founded the Graduate School of Architecture and Planning at UCLA in the late 1960. He is famous for his analysis of world city formation.

What is Core Periphery Model?

• Represents four major stages which works equally with the development of tranportation

• Why inner city areas enjoy prosperity, while others urban deprivation and poverty

Four types of Regions in Core Periphery Model

1. Core Regions

2. Upward Transition regions

3. Resource frontier regions

4. Downward transition regions

Core Regions

Metropolitan, high potential for innovation (improvement) and growth

Upward transition regions

areas of growth, small centers rather than at the core

Resource Frontier Regions

newly colonized regionD

Downward Transition regions

Depleted resources, low agricultural productivity or outdated industry

What is Periphery Role in Wallerstein’s World System Theory Model?

Core Periphery Model Stages of Development

• Stage 1: Pre-Industrial

• Stage 2: Transitional

• Stage 3: Industrial

• Stage 4: Post-Industrial

Stage 1: Pre-Industrial Stage

• agricultural/ primary sector of society

• Small area and a small scale settlement

  • isolated, dispersed, and low mobility

Stage 2: Transitional

• Core Begins

• Capital accumulation and Industrial growth

• A dominant center emerges

Stage 3: Industrial Stage

• Other growth Centers appear

• Deconcentration due to increased production cost (labor and land) in the core area

• More interactions between elements, and constructions of transport infrastructures

Stage 4: The Post Industrial Stage

• Urban System fully integrated, inequalities reduced

• Division of labor linked with intense flows along high capacity transport corridors