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THE LAW OF MARKET AREAS AND THE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF URBAN CENTERS
Author(s) -
Parr John B.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
papers in regional science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1435-5957
pISSN - 1056-8190
DOI - 10.1111/j.1435-5597.1997.tb00681.x
Subject(s) - contrast (vision) , distribution (mathematics) , market size , central city , urban structure , market structure , complex system , economics , geography , econometrics , economic geography , mathematics , sociology , physics , urban planning , microeconomics , mathematical analysis , international economics , engineering , civil engineering , social science , optics
The size distribution of centers underlying the typical model of central place theory stands in marked contrast to size distributions actually observed. This even tends to be the case when the urban system in question can be adequately characterized in terms of central place theory. The reason for this contrast is shown to lie with the simplified nature of the market‐area structure within the central place model, A considerably more complex structure emerges when the Economic Law of Market Areas is introduced. Using the resulting market‐area structure, a size distribution of centers is derived, which is much more in keeping with the observed size distributions of urban systems, including those in which the central place sub‐system predominates.