1. The Central Place Theory
Settlement Section

2. Learning outcomes To understand what a central place is
To grasp Christaller’s Model of Central Places (very complicated!)

3. A central place….
A central place is a settlement that provides goods and services
This could be a village, conurbation or city.
This forms a hierarchy

4. No. of services provided
Capital
High order
Cities
Large Towns
Middle Order
Small towns
Village
Hamlet
Low order
Settlement population size

5. Assumptions
The larger the settlement the fewer in number there will be
The larger the settlement grows in size the further apart they will be
As a settlement increases in size so to will the number of functions increase
As a settlement increases in size the number of high order services will increase

6. Range and threshold
Central place functions are activities that market goods and services from central places for the benefit of local customers and clients drawn from a wider hinterland
Range is the max distance people are prepared to travel to obtain a good
Threshold minimum number of people needed to support it

7. Christaller’s model of Central Places
Walter Christaller
German
1933 published a book to demonstrate a sense of order in the spacing and function of settlements
It was based on Southern Germany

8. Central place theory
Aims to explain the spatial organisation of settlements and their hinterlands.
Theory based on assumption that there was some sort of order in the pattern and function of settlements

9. Assumptions
Flat land between settlements so that transport was easy and cheap in all directions
Population was equal
Resources were evenly distributed
Goods and services were obtained from the nearest central place so as to minimise distance travelled
All customers had the same income and made similar demands for goods

10. Assumptions (cont)
Some central places had only low order goods for which people were not prepared to travel far so had a small sphere of influence
For high order goods people were prepared to travel for
No excess profit would be made by 1 central place and each would locate a far as possible from a rival to max profit

11. Shapes for the theory
The ideal shape for a sphere of influence would be circular
All the distances to the edge of the circle would be equal
Central place
Boundary of trade areas

12. When you start to introduce other central places
Places in between are not served by any central place

13. Circles with no gaps
Problem now: areas served by more than one place- this goes against the basic principles of the model

14. Best shape…hexagons