Hexagonal Market Areas

Definition

Hexagonal market areas are a theoretical model used in central place theory to represent the spatial arrangement of different central places or urban centers. This model uses hexagons to illustrate how these centers serve the surrounding regions, ensuring that every point within the area is equidistant to the nearest central place. This geometric shape is favored because it eliminates gaps and overlaps, providing an efficient and equitable distribution of services and goods to consumers within those areas.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Hexagonal market areas aim to minimize travel distance for consumers by using hexagons, which allows for more efficient coverage compared to circular market areas.
2. In the central place theory, larger centers provide higher-order goods and services, while smaller centers cater to lower-order goods, creating a hierarchy of service availability.
3. The arrangement of hexagonal market areas can lead to variations in population density and service access, impacting local economies.
4. These market areas help in understanding how urban growth and development occur over time, as new central places emerge to serve expanding populations.
5. Hexagonal market areas also facilitate planning for infrastructure and public services by identifying the optimal locations for new facilities based on consumer reach.

Review Questions

• How do hexagonal market areas improve upon circular models in representing central places?
  • Hexagonal market areas improve upon circular models by eliminating gaps and overlaps that occur with circles. This geometric shape allows for a more equitable distribution of services across the landscape, ensuring that each location is served by the nearest central place. This efficiency in coverage leads to better accessibility for consumers and optimizes service delivery.
• Discuss how hexagonal market areas relate to urban hierarchy and consumer behavior.
  • Hexagonal market areas are closely related to urban hierarchy as they illustrate how different sizes of central places serve various populations with distinct needs. Larger cities within this framework offer specialized services that attract consumers from wider distances, while smaller towns cater to basic needs. This relationship demonstrates consumer behavior patterns, showing how people prioritize travel based on service availability and distance.
• Evaluate the implications of using hexagonal market areas for urban planning and development strategies.
  • Using hexagonal market areas in urban planning allows for a strategic approach to resource allocation and service distribution. By understanding consumer reach and access patterns through these defined areas, planners can optimize locations for new businesses or public services. Additionally, this method facilitates forecasting future growth patterns, ensuring that development aligns with community needs while minimizing redundancies in service provision.

Related terms

Central Place Theory:

A geographic theory that explains the size, number, and distribution of human settlements and their services based on consumer behavior.

Urban Hierarchy:

The organization of settlements in a tiered structure, where larger cities provide more specialized services compared to smaller towns.

Range of a Good: The maximum distance consumers are willing to travel to purchase a particular good or service, which influences the size of market areas.