A County-Seat Model for the Areal Pattern of an Urban System

Dados Bibliográficos

ID4490956
AutoresMichael F Dacey (autor correspondente)
Ano1966
Volume56
Fascículo4
Páginas527
Data de publicação1966-10-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoGeographical Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846
EditoraJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/213057
OpenAlexW2335081172
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas10

R ECENT geographical studies of urban systems have been oriented to the central-place concepts expressed, primarily, in the theories of Christaller' and L6sch.2Empirical applications of central-place theory have emphasized economic factors to the almost total exclusion of other variables. However, the system of cities and towns in any region is undoubtedly conditioned by the historical development and contemporary status of economic, social, political, and cultural institutions in that region and in the world at large. Because of the inherent complexity of an urban system, any theory that explains its areal pattern on the basis of only one behavioral system must be partial and incomplete. Yet central-place theory has contributed significantly to an understanding of urban systems. The objective of the present paper is to extend our understanding of urban systems by use of political factors to explain the location of places. This description is, admittedly, less general than that obtained from a central-place theory, since in a central-place system both the location of places and the allocation of tertiary activities among the central places are identified. The loss of general statements is compensated, in part, by an empirical relevance that central-place theory lacks. The variable emphasized in this model is the division of American states into counties. This political institution has implications to urban systems because exactly one city or town in each county is designated a county seat, and there is a high probability that the county seat is the most populous place in the county. A two-dimensional stochastic process is formulated in this study for the location of cities and towns among counties; the location of places within counties is not considered. The process distinguishes between cities and towns that are county seats and other cities and towns. The distinction is made be

Archaeology · Geography · Regional Economic and Spatial Analysis · Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis · Spatial and Panel Data Analysis