AP Human Geography: Unit 5: Rank-Size Rule, Urban Hierarchy, Central Place Theory

Urban Hierarchy Classification

• Countries are classified based on their urban hierarchy, which refers to how cities are ordered in terms of their importance.

• Urban size is typically determined by population rather than land area.

  • Example: New York City is the most populous city in the U.S.

  • Jacksonville, Florida, is the largest by land area due to encompassing the entire county.

Primate City vs. Rank Size Rule

• Urban hierarchies can follow either the primate city theory or the rank size rule.

Primate City

• A primate city is defined as the largest city in a country that is disproportionately larger than any other city.

  • Must be at least 2.5 times larger than the second largest city.

  • Often symbolizes national culture and pride, serving as a major economic and political center.

  • Examples:

    • Paris, France (~12 million people)

    • Tokyo, Japan

    • Buenos Aires, Argentina

    • London, UK

    • Moscow, Russia

  • Some countries have multiple significant cities, disallowing them from having a clear primate city (e.g., China with Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong).

Rank Size Rule

• According to the rank size rule, the population of a city is inversely proportional to its rank in the hierarchy.

  • Example setup for populations:

    • Largest city: 10,000,000 people

    • Second largest: 5,000,000 (half of the largest)

    • Third largest: 3,333,333 (one third of the largest)

    • Fourth largest: 2,500,000 (one fourth of the largest)

• In this system, power and resources are more spread out among multiple cities.

• Example: Brazil

  • São Paulo: 26 million

  • Rio de Janeiro: 13 million

Central Place Theory

• Developed by Walter Christaller in the interwar period (1933) to predict urban settlements.

• Focus on the first four levels of urban hierarchy: hamlet, village, town, and city.

• Determines location of urban centers based on goods/services available and distance between them.

Key Concepts in Central Place Theory

• Threshold: Minimum population required to support a good/service.

  • E.g., Gas station may require a couple hundred people, professional sports team requires millions.

• Range: Maximum distance consumers are willing to travel for a good/service.

  • E.g., Grocery shopping within a couple of miles, while special events like concerts may draw from several hours away.

Levels of Urban Settlements

• Hamlet: 100-200 people (few services, mostly housing).

• Village: 500-2,500 people (may have a grocery store or school).

• Town: 5,000-50,000 people (more services like restaurants, police station, and hospitals).

• City: 50,000+ people (complex economies with varied services).

• Metro Area: City and surrounding suburbs combined.

• Mega City: Cities with populations over 10 million, often integrating two or more cities.

• Metacity: Cities over 20 million people.

  • Megalopolis: Merging urban areas forming continuous metropolitan zones.

Conclusion

• Understanding urban hierarchy is essential for analyzing economic and social dynamics in different nations.

• Each theory provides insights into the nature of city growth, urban planning, and service distribution.