“External urban relational processes: introducing central flow theory to complement central place theory”

This chapter proposes the external relations between urban places. Traditionally, conceptualisation of these relations has been satisfied by central place theory with its depiction of a spatial-hierarchical arrangement of settlements. Central place theory has been developed in two directions: settlement geography and retail geography; in the latter this includes intra-urban relations. Central place theory incorporates a model of interlocking hierarchies for which no upper limit is specified. Central place process can be interpreted as the local dimension in urban external relations. The use of the terms town-ness and city-ness can be interpreted as both an opportunistic application of the dual urban ascription in English and a conceptual clarification of the confusion caused by their inherent inter-changeability in common usage. In a rapidly changing economy, urban-hinterland relations will certainly change but they will never be at the cutting edge of economic development.