Urban Hierarchy
This project tests the theory behind the model of the urban hierarchy.
The urban hierarchy is made up of different types of settlements.
Where they stand on the hierarchy depends on a number of factors, the
main ones being:
· the size of the settlement in terms of its population
· the range and number of services a settlement has
· the sphere of influence or the size of the area served by the
settlement.
The best way to show the urban hierarchy is by using a pyramid, as
shown in this diagram.
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The most obvious way of deciding where a settlement ranks on the urban
hierarchy is by using the population of that settlement. The larger
the population, the higher the settlement is placed on the hierarchy.
In the UK, the largest city in terms of population is London, which
most people would agree is the most important settlement in the
country and so deserves to be placed on the top of the urban hierarchy
for the UK.
After that the divisions between what is classified in each layer is a
bit more vague. Different sources will have different numbers for how
many people are needed for a place to be called a city rather than a
town for instance.
However the most important thing to notice on the diagram is that as
you go up the hierarchy, there becomes a lot less of that type of
settlement. So, the diagram shows us that there are huge numbers of
isolated farmhouses and hamlets. There are less villages and small
towns and so on.
Services are things such as retailers (shops), professionals (doctors,
lawyers etc), entertainment, government functions and leisure. The
theory goes that the larger a settlement is, and therefore the higher
it is on the urban hierarchy, the more services and functions it will
have.
In general in the UK, this is the case. London is the settlement at
the top of the urban hierarchy, and it has the greatest numbers of
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