Central Place Central Place TheoryTheory

Walter Christaller, 1933Walter Christaller, 1933

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory

• Urban hierarchy is based on the functions Urban hierarchy is based on the functions available in a cityavailable in a city

• Is also related to population as well as Is also related to population as well as functions and servicesfunctions and services

• Functions and services attract people from Functions and services attract people from the urban areas as well as the hinterlandsthe urban areas as well as the hinterlands

• Every urban center has an economic reachEvery urban center has an economic reach• Central places compete with each other to Central places compete with each other to

provide goods and servicesprovide goods and services

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory

• Economic reachEconomic reach is a measure of is a measure of centralitycentrality

• CentralityCentrality is crucial to the is crucial to the development of urban places and development of urban places and their service areastheir service areas

• HinterlandHinterland refers to the area refers to the area surrounding a service from which surrounding a service from which consumers are drawnconsumers are drawn

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory• RangeRange is the maximum distance people is the maximum distance people

are willing to travel to use a serviceare willing to travel to use a service• ThresholdThreshold is the minimum number of is the minimum number of

people required to support the servicepeople required to support the service

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory

• Christaller attempted to design a Christaller attempted to design a model that would show how and model that would show how and where central places in the urban where central places in the urban hierarchy would be functionally and hierarchy would be functionally and spatially distributedspatially distributed

Central Place Theory: Five Central Place Theory: Five AssumptionsAssumptions

• The surface of the ideal region would be flat The surface of the ideal region would be flat and have no physical barriersand have no physical barriers

• Soil fertility would be universalSoil fertility would be universal• Population, purchasing power evenly Population, purchasing power evenly

distributeddistributed• Uniform transport network that permitted direct Uniform transport network that permitted direct

travel from each settlement to the othertravel from each settlement to the other• Constant maximum distance or range for the Constant maximum distance or range for the

sale of any good or service produced in a town sale of any good or service produced in a town prevailed in all directions from the town centerprevailed in all directions from the town center

To calculate the degree of centrality:To calculate the degree of centrality:

• Central goods and services are those Central goods and services are those provided only at a central place provided only at a central place

• Range of sale was the distance people Range of sale was the distance people would be willing to travel to acquire goods would be willing to travel to acquire goods and servicesand services• Model evolved consisting of perfectly fitted Model evolved consisting of perfectly fitted hexagonal regionshexagonal regions

Hierarchy of SettlementsHierarchy of Settlements

• Hamlet: fewest goods and services Hamlet: fewest goods and services availableavailable

• Village: includes the region of the Village: includes the region of the hamlet and some additional goods hamlet and some additional goods and servicesand services• Town: includes the region of the Town: includes the region of the village and hamlet and provides village and hamlet and provides some additional goods and services some additional goods and services

• City: includes the region of the City: includes the region of the village, hamlet and town and village, hamlet and town and provides additional goods and provides additional goods and servicesservices

Distinct RulesDistinct Rules

• The larger the settlement, the less The larger the settlement, the less there are of them and the farther there are of them and the farther apart they areapart they are

• The less there are of a settlement, The less there are of a settlement, the larger the hinterland, or sphere the larger the hinterland, or sphere of influence, of its goods and servicesof influence, of its goods and services

• Places of the same size will be Places of the same size will be spaced the same distance apartspaced the same distance apart

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory

Hamlet

Village

Town

City

Central Place Theory: Central Place Theory: Relevance Relevance

• This is a model, not realityThis is a model, not reality

• Use of hexagons explain hierarchy Use of hexagons explain hierarchy and interconnectedness of placesand interconnectedness of places

• Originally applied to GermanyOriginally applied to Germany

• Found to be applicable in China and Found to be applicable in China and the Midwestern USthe Midwestern US

Central Place TheoryCentral Place Theory