Maps that Matter

Central Place Theory

Date: 1933

Creator: Walter Christaller (1893 - 1969)

(Source: Christaller W. (1933) Die Zentralen Orte in Süddeutschland. Jena: Gustav Fischer.)

• First published in Christaller’s 1933 monograph Die Zentralen Orte in Süddeutschland (Central Places in Southern Germany), which was translated into English in 1966.
• Location theory delimiting rules governing the distribution, size, number and function of towns, predicting ideal development of settlement. Popularized by Berry and Bunge in 1960s, for emphasis on spatial organisation and regularities.
• Icon of the so-called 'Quantitative Revolution' in Geography, with long-lasting impact on school curricula.

(Source: www-personal.umich.edu/~copyrght/image/solstice/win06/Germany/indexPartII.html)