urban hierarchy and central places Flashcards
what can All urban settlements can be described as
central places
because they provide shops, businesses and other services/functions for their surrounding area
where does an urban hierarchy exist
Some settlements are more important than others.
in which settlements are classified according to size, function and extent of hinterland.
The place occupied by any individual settlement within the urban hierarchy depends on the following factors
population size
services
area / hinterland
what are the settlement categories
hamlet village town city conurbation
what would be in the hamlet settlement category
small villages or rural housing clusters. Provides a few low-order services such as a bar, a filling station or a shop
eg Loughshinny
what would be in the village settlement category
Provides low-order services as well as one or two medium-order services such as a post office or school
eg donabate
what would be in the town settlement category
Provides a full range of low-order and medium-order services.
It might also provide some high-order services such as jewelers, solicitors offices and department stores. Towns are important market and service centers for their hinterland
EG swords
what would be in the city settlement category
Provides a full range of low, medium and high order services.
Such services might include widely spaced high-order services such as theatres, airports or universities
Eg Dublin
what would be in the conurbation settlement category
is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area. Good transport networks usually connect each urban centre to each other.
eg north italy
what would be low order services
provide everyday goods such as food items, newspapers and petrol
frequently used
you dont travel far for them
what would be medium order services
include supermarkets, pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries.
They are required less often then low-order services people are willing to travel a little further
what would be high order services
include law courts, universities, hospitals, jewellers, cinemas and large department stores.
The goods/services they provide are of high value and are only needed occasionally.
Customers are willing to travel long distances to acquire them.
Describe central place theory
German geographer Walter Christaller came up with this theory in 1933.
The theory is a geographical model that tries to explain patterns in the numbers, the spacing and the functions of different categories of urban settlement.
Christaller’s theory is based on two main concepts:
what are the two main concepts central place theory is based on
range
threshold
how does range affect central place theory
is the maximum distance that people are prepared to travel in order to purchase a particular product or service. Low-order services such as village shops have small ranges. High-order services such as car dealerships have larger ranges because people are prepared to travel long distances to avail of them.
