The Origin and Influences of Urbanization

Jackson Gonzalez
5 min read
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Study Guide Overview
This study guide covers urbanization and settlement patterns, focusing on Central Place Theory (CPT) including its core concepts (range, threshold, hierarchy, hexagons) and assumptions. It also touches upon early urban hearths, reasons for their locations, and key innovations. Finally, it differentiates between rural and urban settlements and introduces the concepts of site and situation.
AP Human Geography: Urbanization & Settlement - The Night Before ๐
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1. Urbanization & Settlement Patterns
Central Place Theory
Central Place Theory (CPT) explains the size and spacing of settlements based on the range and threshold of goods and services.
- Developed by: Walter Christaller (1930s, Germany)
- Goal: To understand why settlements are located where they are and why they're different sizes.
- Key Idea: Larger settlements (central places) provide a wider variety of goods and services to a larger surrounding area.
Think of a shopping mall: Big malls (cities) have everything, while small strip malls (towns) have fewer stores.
Core Concepts
- Range: How far people are willing to travel for a good or service.
- Threshold: The minimum number of people needed to support a business or service.
- Hierarchy: Settlements are organized in a hierarchy, from small villages to large cities.
- Hexagons: CPT uses hexagons to represent market areas because they minimize overlap and gaps, ensuring efficient service delivery.
Hexagons are the most efficient shape for market areas! ๐
Assumptions of Central Place Theory (and why they're not always true)
CPT assumes a perfectly flat landscape with no barriers, equal farm productivity, and even population distribution. In reality, these conditions are rarely met.
- No Topographic Barriers: โฐ๏ธ In the real world, mountains, rivers, and other physical features can affect where people live and how they travel.
- Equal Farm Productivity: ๐งโ๐พ Not all land is equally fertile. Some areas are more productive for farming than others, which can influence settlement patterns.
- Even Dispersion of Rural Population: ๐๏ธ People aren't evenly spread out. Some areas have higher rural populations than others, impacting the demand for services.
Caption: Central Place Theory uses hexagons to illustrate the market areas around settlements.
Urban Settlement Theories
- Early Urban Hearths: Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent), Egypt, China, and the Indus Valley were among the earliest places where cities developed independently.
Urbanization started independently in different parts of the world! ๐
- Why these locations? Fertile soil, water access, and a mild climate allowed for agricultural surpluses, which supported larger populations and the development of cities.
- Key Innovations: Writing, bronze and iron tools, and complex irrigation systems were all born in these early urban areas.
Rural vs. Urban Settlements
- Rural Settlements: Small, low-density, often agricultural, and socially homogeneous.
- Urban Settlements: Large, high-density, diverse economies, and socially heterogeneous.
Rural = Relaxed, Urban = Uptempo! Think of the pace of life in each type of settlement. ๐ ๐๏ธ
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Louis Wirth's Definition: The difference between rural and urban depends on the density of human-created structures.
- Rural: Fewer structures, more open space.
- Urban: Many structures, less open space.
2. Describing Location
Site vs. Situation
Site is the physical characteristics of a place, while situation is its relative location to other places.
| Site

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Question 1 of 11
Who is credited with developing the Central Place Theory? ๐ค
Ernest Burgess
Walter Christaller
Alfred Weber
Halford Mackinder