Alternative explanations of hierarchical differentiation in urban systems

Alternative explanations of hierarchical differentiation in urban systems

[SHS:GEO] Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography

urban systems

hierarchy

complex systems

Gibrat

Zipf

The hierarchical differentiation of urban systems has been noticed for a long time and various explanations have been suggested. Among them: an intentional functional organisation for controlling a territory; the application of a spatial economic equilibrium principle; a “purely” random growth process; the statistical addition of Pareto-like elementary phenomena; self-organisation or co-evolution of competing subsystems, without constraint or under space-time optimisation principle. We review these explanations and related methods of analysis, trying to assess their relevance and exploring the possible similarities between urban dynamics and other types of hierarchical complex systems.

Pumain, Denise

Hierarchy in natural and social sciences

2006

ENG

scientific book chapter

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00145933

http://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/14/59/33/PDF/hierarchy_dp.pdf