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Rank-Size Rule

Rank-Size Rule. City Hierarchy Review. Number of Business Types by Population of Colorado Cities (1899). * System of cities with various levels * Few cities at top level Increasing number of settlements at each lower level * Larger cities provide more services than smaller towns

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Rank-Size Rule

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  1. Rank-Size Rule

  2. City Hierarchy Review Number of Business Types by Population of Colorado Cities (1899) *System of cities with various levels *Few cities at top level Increasing number of settlements at each lower level *Larger cities provide more services than smaller towns – exists at regional, national, and global scales Graph from Kuby, HGIA

  3. “World cities are not simply the world’s largest … cities. Rather, they are the control centers for the global economy, places where critical decision making and interaction take place with regard to global economic, cultural, and political issues” (Knox and Marston 2001, p. 426). “WORLD CITIES”

  4. Business Services and Settlements • World cities • Ancient world cities • Medieval world cities • Modern world cities • Hierarchy of business services • World cities • Command and control centers • Specialized producer-service centers • Dependent centers • Economic base of settlements

  5. Rank-Size Distribution of Cities Fig. 12-9: Cities in the U.S. follow the rank-size distribution relatively closely, as indicated by the almost straight line on this log scale. In Romania, there are few settlements in two size ranges.

  6. Modern World Cities • In modern times several world cities have emerged where a high percentage of the world’s business is transacted and political power is concentrated. • These world cities are centers of business services, but they stand at the top of the central place hierarchy in the provision of consumer services, and many also serve as public-service centers. • Where do you think today’s most influential three world cities are?

  7. Hierarchy of World Cities Fig. 12-14: London, New York, and Tokyo are the dominant world cities in the global economy. Other major and secondary world cities play lesser roles.

  8. Command and Control Centers • The second level of cities—command and control centers—contains the headquarters of many large corporations, concentrations of business services, educational, medical, and public institutions. • Two levels of command and control centers can be identified: regional centers and sub-regional centers. • In the United States, examples of regional command centers are Atlanta and Kansas City. • Examples of sub-regional centers are Biloxi and Oklahoma City.

  9. Specialized Producer-Service Centers • The third level of cities – specialized producer-service centers – offers a more narrow and highly specialized variety of services. • One group of these cities specializes in the management and research/development activities related to specific industries. • A second group specializes as centers of government and education, notably state capitals that also have a major university.

  10. Dependent Centers • The fourth-level cities, dependent centers, provide relatively unskilled jobs and depend for their economic health on decisions made in the world cities, regional command and control centers, and specialized producer-service centers. • Four subtypes of dependent centers can be identified in the United States: resort, retirement, and residential centers; manufacturing centers; industrial and military centers; mining and industrial centers.

  11. Economic Base of Settlements A settlement’s distinctive economic structure derives from its basic industries, which export primarily to consumers outside the settlement. Non-basic industries are enterprises whose customers live in the same community, essentially consumer services. A community’s unique collection of basic industries defines its economic base. A community’s basic industries can be identified by computing the percentage of the community’s workers employed in different types of businesses. If the percentage is much higher in the local community, (compared to the country), then that type of business is a basic economic activity.

  12. Rank-Size Rule: • Relatively developed societies produce a pattern in the size of their cities according to a mathematical formula.

  13. Rank-size Rule Rank Size Rule Nth largest city of a national system will be 1/n the size of the largest city. Example - US is close to this model - not a good model for newly urbanized countries ie LDC

  14. Rank Size RuleExample: • Largest City 1,000,000 • 2nd largest City 500,000 • 3rd Largest City 333,333 • 4th Largest City 250,000 • 5th Largest City ?

  15. Rank Size RuleExample: • Largest City 1,000,000 (1/1) • 2nd largest City 500,000 (1/2) • 3rd Largest City 333,333 (1/3) • 4th Largest City 250,000 (1/4) • 5th Largest City 200,000 (1/5)

  16. practice • If a country conforms to Rank Size Rule, fill in the population chart below: • City A 250,000 • City B ? • City C ? • City D ? • City E ?

  17. Practice • If a country conforms to Rank Size Rule, fill in the population chart below: • City A 250,000 • City B 125,000 • City C 83,333 • City D 62,500 • City E 50,000

  18. “Ideal” line

  19. New York City, NY 8.4 m Los Angeles, CA Chicago, IL Houston, TX Philadelphia, PA Phoenix , AZ San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA Dallas, TX San Jose, CA How Well does the USA fit?

  20. New York City, NY 8.4 m Los Angeles, CA 3.8 m Chicago, IL 2.7 m Houston, TX 2.1 m Philadelphia, PA 1.5 m Phoenix , AZ 1.4 m San Antonio, TX 1.2 m San Diego, CA 1.3 m Dallas, TX 1.1 m San Jose, CA 945,000 How Well does the USA fit?

  21. U.S. Line - 2007

  22. How does the U.S. Compare?

  23. Why do we care? • Interesting math! • Countries that have good rank-size distribution improve the quality of life of their citizens. A regular hierarchy (USA) indicates that a society is wealthy enough to provide services for its people. • Absence of rank-size means people may struggle to access large urban settlements, thus high level services like hospitals.

  24. PRIMATE CITIES • In less developed countries/regions the largest city is overly large. The pattern of settlements is such that the largest settlement has more than twice as many people as the second largest settlementand is more than twice as significant. • There is usually not an obvious 2nd city • Example Pairs France 8.7 million, next city Marseille-1.2 million

  25. Factors Encouraging Primacy • Favorable initial advantages for site • Advantages maintained and enhanced • Magnetic attraction for businesses, services and people (cumulative effect) • Disproportionate growth increases attractiveness • Has a parasitic effect, sucking wealth, natural and human resources. • They attract overseas investment and benefits that will eventually benefit the whole country

  26. What advantages do primate cities have? • Hugely influential • Culturally • Politically • Economically • Huge number of economic activities • Agglomeration of industries • Pull factors for migrants

  27. The degree of primacy refers to the dominance of the largest city over the rest of the country. Most LDCs (Less Developed Countries) have a high degree of primacy while most MDCs (More Developed Countries) have a low degree of primacy.Factors that affect high primacy includeo Having an underdeveloped economyo Having an agriculturally dominant economyo A rapidly expanding populationo A recent colonial history

  28. Mexico Primate City Mexico is an excellent example of a Primate City model. Mexico City is the dominant city in Mexico

  29. Connectivity of Urban Systems Spain’s national urban system National metropolises have greater connectivity than regional metropolises or small cities

  30. Primate City or Rank Size Rule?Austria • Vienna 1,691,468 • Linz-Wels-Steyr 286,000 • Graz 222,326 • Linz 181,162 • Salzburg 150,269

  31. Primate City or Rank Size Rule?Austria • Vienna 1,691,468 1,691,468 • Linz-Wels-Steyr 286,000 845,743 • Graz 222,326 563,823 • Linz 181,162 422,867 • Salzburg 150,269 338,294

  32. Primate City or Rank Size Rule?Egypt • Cairo 7,734,614 • Alexandria 3,811,516 • Al Jīzah 2,443,203

  33. Primate City or Rank Size Rule?Egypt • Cairo 7,734,614 7,734,614 • Alexandria 3,811,516 3,867,307 • Al Jīzah 2,443,203 2,578,204

  34. Canada 1. Toronto 5,741,400 5,741,400 2. Montreal 3,859,300 2,870,700 3. Vancouver 2,391,300 1,913,800 4. Calgary 1,242,600 1,435,350 5. Ottawa 1,239,100 1,148,280

  35. The most Primate City in the world • Bangkok, Thailand • Population is 5,800,000 (12.6% of entire country's population) • Growth spurred on by the Asian investment boom of the 1980s and 1990s led by MNC • 40 times larger than the 2nd largest city, Nonthaburi (270,000)

  36. Binary Distribution • Exists when there are 2 very large cities of almost equal population and significance within the same region • Spain: Barcelona and Madrid • Brazil: Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro • Canada: Toronto and Montreal • China: Shanghai and Beijing • India: Mumbai and Delhi • Netherlands: Amsterdam and Rotterdam • Russia: Moscow and Saint Petersburg • USA: New York, NY and Los Angeles

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