A Theory of Location for Cities

Many studies have shown that cities are not scattered over the earth illogically, but a general theory of location has been lacking. The orderly spacing of towns as service centers forms a basis for a settlement-distribution theory. Service centers range in size from hamlets performing a few simple functions up to large cities providing specialized services for a large tributary region composed of the service areas of smaller towns. Thus, in an entirely uniform land the larger the town, the larger its tributary area should be. On the basis of a South German "norm" of areal organization Christaller has worked out deductively the central-place theory for distribution of settlements. He sets up typical settlements sizes, determines the normal number of towns in each class, as well as the spacing of the centers, and the area and population of their tributary areas. The theory applies better to agricultural areas than to industrial districs. It is not static but changes to fit changes in underlying conditions, particularly transportation. The system also varies from place to place in the world in line with population density, type of agriculture, governmental organization, and many other factors. These underlying regional differences make possible comparisons between central-place systems in the United States and elsewhere. After further refinement some form of the theory should provide a logical framework for study of existing distributions and perhaps for planning optimum spacing of new settlements.