Regional Planning: The Spatial Structure of Regions (Notes)
Central places compete with each other to serve as market for the provision of goods and services.
This competition create a regular pattern of settlement
Elements of spatial structure
Three basic elements
a) Group into systems of central places service or tertiary industry locations, administration, finance, retail and wholesale trades
b) Cluster or agglomerate around physical resources such as coal, river valleys and beaches - Spatial - industries, manufacturing, mining, recreation and location
c) Pattern of transport links- roads and railways which may give rise to a linear pattern of settlement.
Central place theory
- Seeks to relate central places to their hinterlands
- Central place as a settlement providing services for the population of its hinterland
- Central place theory was first proposed in the 1930s by a German geographer, Walter Christaller
- The Central Place theory was developed to explain the size and spacing of cities that specialize in selling goods and services
Hierarchy of services
Service activities – ranging from ’low order’ services found in every centre city, town or village to ’high order’ service found only in major centres Examples: corner shop, neighbourhood centre, community centre, District centre, down town centre
The theory consists of two basic concepts
a) Threshold - the minimum market needed to bring a firm or city selling goods and services into existence and to keep it in business
b) Range - the average maximum distance people will travel to purchase goods and services
The minimum population size required to profitably maintain a service is the threshold population.
Factors affecting a fall in the threshold population are
- A decrease in population
- Change in tastes
- Introduction of substitutes
Importance of central place theory in Regional planning
- Understanding regional spatial structure
- As a model for future planning
- Hierarchical system of centres avoids duplication and waste
- Efficient way of administering and allocating resources within a region
- Planning of any centre taking implications of other centres
Validity of central place theory
i. Inter urban studies – classification of towns into hierarchical framework
ii. Intra-urban studies – classification of centres within an urban area into hierarchical framework
Shortfalls of Central place theory
- Explains the existence of regional spatial structure but failing to explain how that structure has evolved
- Fails to explain distortion of the hierarchy caused by location of agglomeration of activities due to resource localization
The growth pole theory
- Compliments central place theory
- Perroux spatial and industrial development
- Growth does not appear everywhere and all at once
- Growth appears in points or development poles
- Growth spreads along diverse channels and with varying terminal effects to the whole economy
- Growth poles are usually urban locations, benefiting from agglomeration economies, and should interact with surrounding areas, spreading prosperity from the core to the periphery”.
Growth pole versus Growth centre
> Growth pole: development of growth poles in economic space – Perroux’s
> Growth centre or growth point refers to a spatial location - Boudeville
Perroux’s Growth Pole Model
“Growth does not appear everywhere at the same time; it becomes manifest at points or poles of growth, with variable intensity; it spreads through different channels with variable terminal effects on the whole economy.”
- Growth Poles versus Growth Centers Propulsive Industries and Lead Firms large size; fast growth; strong linkages; innovative
Basic concepts of growth pole theory
- Concept of leading industries: At the centre of growth poles are larger propulsive firms.
- Single, core, and industrial complex. Location advantages
- Concept of polarization : Growth of leading industries induces the polarization
- The concept of spread effect: Dynamic propulsive qualities of the growth pole radiates outwards into surrounding space – spread or trickle down effect. Attractive to a regional planner
- Economic growth is not uniform
- Emerges at certain points in space (urban centres) Which benefit from a “key industry” (pôle de croissance) and related sectors
- Spatially clustered centres of growth surrounded by “backward,” or underdeveloped hinterland in the periphery
Growth pole theory as a policy tool for Regional Planning
- Generating development due to various agglomeration economies
- Concentrating of investment in specific growth points costs less
- Spread effects will help solve problems of depressed regions
- Growth pole policy towards growth centre Policy
Notions of Growth Poles or Centers
- Growth center theory stresses the role of propulsive sectors in shaping the economic growth fortunes of communities
- These propulsive industries are comprised of technological innovators (or lead firms) with growth stimulating effects
- These are on both backward and forward linked sectors through which positive growth (spread) effects or negative (backwash) effects are propagated
- In short, growth center theory suggests that there is a dynamic disequilibrium where cost reducing and growth inducing actions feed on themselves and pull other areas along
Agglomeration advantages
- The mutual relationship among firms and workers in that many firms of all kinds and especially firms in the same industry becomes an attractive location for technical workers
- They have a variety of potential employers Should they decide to leave their current job
- A second agglomeration advantage is the contact networks of technical workers
- Firms rely on the heterogeneous contacts and networks of individuals in order to acquire information and technical knowledge from other organizations.
Spread and backwash effects
Can occur through several broad economic forces
- These include investment, spending for goods and services, migration, knowledge and technology and political influence and government spending
- Each of these can be shown to have both spread and backwash dimensions.
Spread versus Backwash
- The balance between countervailing spread and backwash effects will vary from community to community
- Perceived quality of life differences between the urban core and the surrounding hinterland will play a primary role
When they will prevail?
- If the urban center is perceived to be a better place to live and conduct business relative to the surrounding area, backwash is likely to be present
- Conversely, if the urban center is perceived to be crime ridden and rundown while the surrounding hinterland is blessed with high levels of natural amenities, strong spread effects are likely to occur
Favorable Impacts of the Growth Pole on the Hinterland
- Trickle down effect: growth pole buys resource products, invests some of its surplus cash, absorbs some of unemployed, recreation and urban field effect: cottage country
- Thus concentrated growth at the centre “spills over”
Unfavorable Impacts of the Growth Pole on the Hinterland
- Backwash effect, growth at the centre comes at the expense of periphery.
- Less efficient peripheral services cannot compete with those of the growth pole
- Selective out migration strips away the most innovative and entrepreneurial; brain drain
- Capital flows from periphery to the core to secure the highest return
Post a Comment