Walter Christallers Central Place Theory

Bikash Das
4
th
Semester
Dept. of Geography & Disaster Management
Tripura University
bikash.shubho@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/shubho.bikash
Introduction
Central Place Theory is an attempt to explain
the spatial arrangement, size, and number of
settlements.
Focuses on the role of distance in the location
of urban centers
Attempts to explain the relationship between
cities and their hinterlands
The theory was originally published in 1933
by a German geographer Walter Christaller
who studied the settlement patterns in
Southern Germany.
Translated into English 1966
Influenced by von Thnen and Weber
Christallers hypothesis on the degree of
Centrality of a place based on the number of
Telephone Connections at a place as the prime
criteria for determining the hierarchy.
By examining and defining the functions of the
settlement structure and the size of the
hinterland he found it possible to model the
pattern of settlement locations using geometric
shapes.
The human settlements like larger villages,
towns, cities and metropolis level centres come
under the central place hierarchy.

Introduction
Assumptions:
Christaller made a number of assumptions that all areas will have
The surface of the ideal region would be flat and have no
physical barriers
An evenly distributed population
Evenly distributed resources
Similar purchasing power of all consumers and consumers will
patronize nearest market
Central goods and services must be purchased from nearest
central place.
Large number of complementary settlements surrounds the
central place
Transportation costs equal in all directions and proportional to
distance
No excess profits may be earned or gained from any central place
(perfect competition)
Central Place Theory
Urban hierarchy is based on the
functions available in a city.
Is also related to population as well as
functions and services
Functions and services attract people
from the urban areas as well as the
hinterlands
Every urban center has an economic
reach
Central places compete with each other
to provide goods and services
Explanation of Some Terms:
Central Place is a settlement which provides one or more
services for the population living around it.
Simple basic services (e.g. grocery stores) are said to be
of Low Order while specialized services (e.g.
universities) are said to be of High Order.
Having a high order service implies there are low order
services around it, but not vice versa.
Settlements which provide low order services are said to
be Low Order Settlements. Settlements that provide
high order services are said to Be High Order
Settlements.
The sphere of influence is the area under influence of the
Central Place.
Examples of Low Order
Goods/Services
Newspaper Stalls
Groceries
Bakeries
Post Offices
Drug Stores
Fast Food
Motels
Supported by smaller
threshold populations


Examples of High Order
Goods/Services
Jewellery
Large Shopping Malls
Multiplex
Professional Sports
Universities/Higher
Educational Institutes
Museums
5 Star Restaurants & Hotels

Supported by larger
threshold population

The theory consists of two basic concepts:
Threshold: the minimum population
that is required to bring about the
provision of certain good or services.
Range of Good or Services: the
average maximum distance people will
travel to purchase goods and services.
From these two concepts the lower and
upper limits of goods or services can be
found. With the upper and the lower
limits, it is possible to see how the
central places are arranged in an
imaginary area.
Central Place Theory
Arrangement of the Central Places/ Settlements:
As transport is equally easy in all direction, each
central place will have a circular market area as
shown in C in the diagram:
However, circular shape of the market areas results
in either un-served areas or over-served areas.
To solve this problem, Christaller suggested the
hexagonal shape of the markets as shown in D in the
above diagram.
Within a given area there will be fewer high order
cities and towns in relation to the lower order
villages and hamlets.
For any given order, theoretically the settlements
will be equidistance from each other. The higher
order settlements will be further apart than the lower
order ones.
The Three Principles in the Arrangement of the
Central Places:
Christaller noted three different
arrangements of central places
according to the following principles:
1. The Marketing Principle
(K=3 system);
2. The Transportation Principle
(K=4 system);
3. The administrative principle
(K=7 system).
K=3 Marketing Principal favours the
development of symmetrical nested
hierarchy of central places. According to
this principal rural produce comes to the
higher order centres through lower order
centres, and the goods or services
produced in urban areas move through
higher order centres to the lower order
centres.
1. The Marketing Principle (K=3 System):
1. The Marketing Principle (K=3 System):
The number of centres increases as 1;
1x3=3; 3x3=9; 9x3=27; 27x3=81 and so
on.. (Geometrical Progression)
1 will be the growth pole at the first
order;
3 will be the second order centres;
9 will be the third order centres:
27 will be the fourth order centres;
81 will be the fifth order centre..
And So On
Basic Theme
Christeller proposed that settlement with low
order of specialization would be equally
spaced and surrounded by hexagonal shaped
service areas or hinterlands.
For every six of these lowest order
settlements he suggest that there would be a
larger and more specialized settlement which
in true would be situated at an equal distance
from other settlements of the same order and
also surrounded by a hexagonal service area.
Progressively more specialised towns with
even larger hexagonal shaped hinterlands
would be similarly located at an equal
distance from each other.
According to Christaller....
The smallest centre would lie approx 7 km apart
from each other and it will take a time about 2
hours to reach by walking and this hamlets
will have a hinterland of 3.5 km radius.
Centres of the next order will serve three times
of the area and three times of the population.
Thus they would be located Km or
12 Km apart.
Similarly the next series of hinterlands
would be three times larger than those of the
preceding order. Such an arrangements of
settlements as proposed by Christaller would
appear to the table:
Basic Theme
Settlement
Hierarchy
Settlement Hierarchy in Southern
Germany
Distance
(KM)
Population
Served
Area
(Sq
KM)
Population
Hamlet 7 800 45 2700
Village 12 1500 135 8100
Small Town
21 3500 400 24000
District Town
36 9000 1200 75000
Regional Capital
62 2700 3600 225000
State Capital 108 90000 1800 675000
National Capital 186 300000 32400 2025000
Source: Knowles, R. and Wareing, J. (1976):
Basic Theme
In this principle there are three hierarchical tiers.
A. Villages at fourth order which serve towns and vice
versa.
B. Towns at the third order which serve city level centres
and vice versa.
C. Cities at the second order which serve primate city and
vice versa.
D. Primate city at the first order which serve national capital
at the higher level and cities at the lower level.
E. In transport principal the number of centres followed the
geometrical progression as 1,4,16,64...................
Shoppers in smaller settlements divide into two equal
groups when shopping in the two nearest larger
settlements.

2. The Transportation Principle (K=4 System):
3. The Administrative Principle (K=7 System).
At this level one bigger central places serves the
seven second order centres and so on as 1, 7, 49,
343, 2401..... In areas of perfect transport
development the K=7 progression of central
place comes true.
For determining the fixed K hierarchy of central
place the following formula has been used:
Nt=Kt, where N is the number of dependent
places, and t is the hierarchy tier.
All shoppers in the smaller settlements shop in
the nearest large settlement.

1. It guides the planner in identifying the existing
hinterlands of localized or mobile services.
2. It helps in identifying the planner which areas and
which people are out of reach of individual service
centre.
3. it shows the planner which centres are stranger in
terms of available services and so they could cater
the needs of an increased local demand or for a
demand in a larger hinterland.
4. It helps to recognise the central place in such a
way that a combined hinterlands over all the
people in an area.
5. It enables a comparative analysis of regional to be
made.
Application of Central Place Theory in Regional Planning
6. A hierarchy of functions and settlements is
devised.
7. It shows the inter dependence of towns and
regions.
8. The idea of competition between centres may be
stressed.
9. The intensity of spacing of centres suggests further
investigation as to how these service centres have
evolved and changing their character at present
time. And
10. On the basis of a theoretical structure it is possible
to make a number of predictions about the pattern
of future settlement location.

Application of Central Place Theory in Regional Planning
Evaluation: There can be no question of denying the fundamental importance of
Christellers work. For the first time this theory has got lots of clapping because it was the
ideal blue print to arrange and rearrange the settlements but letter on this theory faced some
criticisms:
The pattern of cities predicted by central place theory may not hold because of the failure to
meet initial assumptions.
1. Hexagonal arrangement of settlement is theoretically justified but practically it is not
approved.
2. Isotropic surface over an extensive area as assumed is quiet abstract.
3. According to Christaller people purchased the goods and services to the nearby market but
today peoples have high economic and social status so they are much interested to for
developed cities to enjoy better services. The concept of E-Marketing....
4. Concept of the threshold population is quite impractical because the surplus production of
any centre to day is not only dependent on local market. It is now very much easy to export
the surplus to the regional or international market.

Critical Assessment of Central Place Theory
Critical Assessment of Central Place Theory
5. Equal taste, same kind of purchasing power parity are also not uniform for all the peoples
of all the centres. So, same category of demands for goods and services is also not realistic.
6. Production costs may vary not only because of economies of scale but also by natural
resource endowments (i.e. not a homogeneous plain)
7. Transportation costs are not equal in all directions.
8. Rural markets (initially households) are not evenly distributed.
9. Non economic factors (culture, politics, leadership) may be important but not evenly
distributed
10. Competitive practices may lead to freight absorption and phantom freight (other forms of
imperfect competition)
11. Range of distance to day is not very much justified concept when a production centre may
able to reduce down its cost of product using technologies. So zonal overlapping, market
occupancy may be happened which in turn create turbulence in the general pattern of
Hexagonal settlement geometry.
Modification of Christallers Theory:
In 1954 the Economist August Losch presented an important modification of
Christallers theory, he again used hexagonal service areas, but allowed
various hexagonal systems to co-exist. In Losch Model the various
hexagonal systems, K=3, K=4, K=7 and others, operate at different levels
and are superimposed on each other. The application of a variable K value
produces a continuum of settlements sizes more closely in line with the
theoretical result of the Rank-Size Rule.
Reference
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Hussain, M. (2005): Human Geography, Rawat Publications, New Delhi
Knowles, R. And Wareing, J. (1976): Economic and Social Geography, Rupa, New
Delhi
Mandal, R.B. (2000): Urban Geography: A Textbook, Concept Publishing Co., New
Delhi
Ramachandran, R. (1989): Urbanisation and Urban Systems of India, Oxford
University Press, New Delhi
Sen, J, (2001), Pouro Bhugoler Ruprekha, Kalyani Publishers, Kolkata
Verma, L.N (2008):Urban Geography, Rawat Publishers, Jaipur
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