Central Place Theory
I N T R O
L E V E L
C O U R S E S
By: Yanyan Liu
Thinking
If you are the planner at
Macy’s Planning Department,
how do you plan your stores’
location?
Christaller’s Idea
In 1933, a German guy was thinking
the same question as us.
His name is Walter Christaller, he is
a German geographer.
His idea was known as Central Place
Theory (CPT) .
CPT
Central Place Theory
 What is the CPT?
Basically CPT is a theory describing size
distribution of urban locations based upon these
locations providing goods and services.
Objects
Get the basic knowledge of Central Place Theory (CPT).
• 1. Basic concepts
• 2. Assumptions
• 3. Conclusions
• 4. Hierarchical systems
• 5. Evaluation
Bachelor
Contents
Basic
concepts
Basic concepts
1. Central place
It’s a place that supplies goods and services from the center to the
Assumptions
surrounding area. (In CPT, central place ≠ central location).
Conclusions
2. Central place function
Hierarchical
systems
The goods/productions and the services, which was provided to
surrounding area. (Central place function have hierarchy).
Evaluations
The central place which provide the expensive or rare goods and
services has the higher central place function rank.
Basic concepts
Contents
Basic
concepts
3. Distance & Demand & Range
With the distance increasing, the demands will decrease.
Assumptions
Range: The spatial extent of demand before demand drops to
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
Evaluations
zero.
Contents
Basic
concepts
Assumptions
Basic concepts
4. Threshold
The range of services or the number of people required for
a market to exist normally.
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
The number of service personnel > threshold → earn money;
The number of service personnel < threshold → loss money;
Evaluations
The number of service personnel = threshold → capital preservation.
Assumptions
Contents
Basic
concepts
1. The terrain is flat, the population is evenly distributed, and the
consumption level is the same .
Assumptions
2. Transportation costs equal in all directions and proportional to distance.
Conclusions
3. “Rational man” rules: producers seek maximum profit, consumers seek
the lowest price.
Hierarchical
systems
4. Consumer demand is provided by the nearest center (nearby
consumption / proximity principle)
Evaluations
→ Thinking what kind of patten can meet the
equal distance to all places? .
Thinking
Thinking
Thinking
Conclusions
Contents
1. The level of the center is inversely
proportional to the number.
Basic
concepts
2. The level of the center is
proportional to the range of services.
Assumptions
3. The service scope of the lower
center is included by the service scope
of the higher center.
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
4. The service scope of centers of
the same level is independent and
exclusive from each other.
Evaluations
Low-grade city
Low-grade
city service
range
Mid-grade city
High-grade city
Mid-grade
city service
range
High-grade
city service
range
Contents
Hierarchical systems
Basic
concepts
Assumptions
CPT has three hierarchical systems:
Administrative principle, Transport/Traffic
Conclusions
principle and Market principle.
Hierarchical
systems
Evaluations
Contents
Basic
concepts
Hierarchical systems
Administrative principle
Assumptions
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
Evaluations
Applicable in the areas with following characteristics:
Self-sufficient, remote, basin
Contents
Basic
concepts
Hierarchical systems
Transport/Traffic principle
Assumptions
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
Applicable in the areas with following characteristics:
New development areas, immigration areas
Evaluations
Examples: Western United States, Northeast China
Contents
Basic
concepts
Hierarchical systems
Market principle
Assumptions
Conclusions
Hierarchical
systems
Applicable in the areas with following characteristics:
Evaluations
Economically developed, open and accessible
Examples: The South of Germany
Contents
Basic
concepts
Evaluations
Insufficient
1. Rigid assumptions lead to a lack of universality.
Assumptions
Conclusions
2. The basic concept and connotation of the traditional central land
theory have fallen behind the current development reality (current
globalization, information, division of labor network).
3. Lack of diversity in consumer behavior.
Hierarchical
systems
Evaluations
4. Lack of research on urban division of labor, the relationship
between cities of different levels, and between different systems and
cities of different levels.
Contents
Basic
concepts
Assumptions
Evaluations
Contributions
1. The most important theoretical basis of urban geography, the
founder of modern urban geography.
Conclusions
2. Paradigm shift in geographical research: Characterize → Logical
deduction.
Hierarchical
systems
3. Rise of the Metrological Revolution: establishment of the School
of Spatial Analysis.
Evaluations
4. The rise of the study of city hierarchy, city function and city
distribution is the source of the formation of city system theory.
Summary
B
Central place
Central place function
Distance & Demand & Range
Threshold
A
terrain
transportation
Rational man
proximity principle
H
Administrative principle
Transport/Traffic principle
Market principle.
Bachelor
E
4 insufficient
4 contributes
Thinking
Based on CPT, how do
you plan your stores’
location?
See you next class!
References
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zE_B0LM5bM
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apcd0b046Y0
• https://www.bilibili.com/s/video/BV1rE411P7N9
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjVoMIgBvsE
• http://www.1234866.com/p-3285068.html
• https://wenku.baidu.com/view/745969afd1f34693daef3eb9.html?rec_flag=default
• https://wenku.baidu.com/view/0ed31916ee06eff9aef80733.html?rec_flag=default
• https://wenku.baidu.com/view/370251408e9951e79b8927a2.html?rec_flag=default