Major Urban Models of Human Geography

The central place theory, established by Walter Christaller in 1933 in a study of Southern Germany, explains the spatial distribution and interaction of urban areas and the services they provide. These urban areas vary in size, and each possesses its own hinterlands, ranges, and thresholds to maintain its size. Range is the maximum distance consumers will travel to access a service or buy a product, whereas threshold is the minimum number of consumers needed for the product or service to be profitable. The hinterland or market area is the influence of a city, its products, and its services. The hexagonal pattern of the central place theory is to represent these hinterlands. Hexagons are used because all of the points on them are relatively equidistant from their center, and because they can be arranged together without gaps. The theory assumes that topography is uniform, population and resources are equally distributed, transportation is single-method and equally easy in all directions, and that consumers will travel the least possible distance to meet their needs. Despite its age, idealized assumptions and highly simplified nature, the theory can be applied in modern urban areas, such as Cincinnati, Ohio, with some limitations. Cincinnati, being an older American city, still has central areas, such as Over-the-Rhine, that were built when Christaller’s theory matched technology and the physical landscape much more accurately than it does today. However, centers began to move further and further apart as transportation modes became more centered around cars, and the number of local centers began to decrease. The newer suburban areas of Cincinnati have hinterland patterns with centers spread far apart and with most retail services available in only a few centers, somewhat corresponding to the theory.

The sector model, established by American economist Homer Hoyt in 1939, explains the social structure of urban areas. The model determines neighborhoods on the...