GEOG202 Lecture Notes - John Friedmann, Saskia Sassen, Central Place Theory

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Geography and Environmental Management
• Course: GEOG202
• Professor: Claire Mitchell

Document Summary

Walter christaller(1933) central place theory- major impact: central places: are endogenous trading centres; meeting their needs. -> what goods and services are offered in central place? types of goods and service: categorised; low order, middle order, high order (on the basis of cost) Distinguished by two characteristics: threshold- every business have a threshold & different threshold (the population)& range- the minimum distance, how far will you travel to buy something, varies depending on the good. Types of central places: at highest order places, i. e. higher order goods, middle and low. -> why hexagonal? because circles will leave one area neglected. so everyone can have access. Mercantalism (1500-1800) an economic philosophy: national wealth is best served by having a positive balance of trade and amassing foreign currency. ->> wholesale centres: centres that facilitate exogenous tasks. Staples= raw materials entrepots= upcoming cities as they take on more and more economical businesses: distribution of wholesale centres: along major transportation routes.