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This problem has been dealt with in a number of studies of the basic and nonbasic functions of towns. See, e.g.: E. A. Ullman and M. F. Dacey, “The Minimum Requirements Approach to the Urban Economic Base,”Proceedings of the IGU Symposium in Urban Geography, Lund, 1960, Knut Norborg, ed. [Lund Studies in Geography, ser. B, no. 24], Lund, Sweden, University Press, 1962.
See, e. g.:Traffic in Towns (The Buchanan Report), London, H. M. S., 1963, § 80.
Some authors have more recently suggested that this zonation is only a crude representation of what should in fact be a gradient caused by a number of urban factors. See, for example: H. H. Winsborough, “City Growth and City Structure,”Journal of Regional Science, vol. 4 no. 2, Winter, 1962, pp. 35–49. These findings, however, do not reduce the value of the Burgess theory which has obvious advantages for the demonstration of certain basic principles.
This was demonstrated for Zurich where, for retailing, a hierarchy of central functions was found within the city. See: H. Carol, “The Hierarchy of Central Functions within the City,”Annals of the Association of American Geographers, vol. 50, 1960, pp. 419–438.
The terms uni and plurinuclear cities are, to my knowledge, coined for this paper. Some people may prefer the prefixes mono-, poly-, multi- or some other terms. As concepts, however, these urban patterns are older. In particular, reference should here be made to the seminal article by Harris and Ullman on “The Nature of Cities” dating to 1945. Both the support and the internal structure of the cities were discussed here. The author appraised the Burgess and Hoyt city patterns, and also focused at some length on what they called a third generalization, the multiple nuclei towns. See the republication in:Readings in Urban Geography, Harold M. Mayer and Clyde F. Cohn, eds., Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1960, pp. 277–286. While the Burgess and Hoyt theories have in more recent publications been evaluated at length and further developed, too little attention has been paid to the multiple nuclei theory. Ullman himself a few years ago emphasized its increasing importance. See: E. L. Ullman, “The Nature of Cities Reconsidered,”Papers, the Regional Science Association, vol. 9, 1962, pp. 7–23. In the rich literature on urban forms others have speculated on multinuclei towns. The author, however, regards the plurinuclear system of employment cores to be significantly different and more comprehensively thought out than the nine nuclei listed by Harris and Ullman. Previous discussions of these urban forms appear to have thought of such centers as self-contained units and have though paid too little attention to their functional structure and internal differentiations, and particularly to the interrelations between the centers.
Transportanalysen for Oslo, Oslo Byplankontor, 1965.
The principles are derived from such well-known Scandinavian studies as: W. W. Olsson, “Stockholm: Its Structure and Development,”Geographical Review, vol. 30, 1940, pp. 420–438; and Tore Sund and Fridtjov Isachsen,Bostede og Arbeids-steder i Oslo, Oslo, 1942. Among American studies, see: R. E. Murphey, J. E. Vance Jr. and B. J. Epstein, “Internal Structure of the C. B. D.,”Economic Geography, vol. 31, 1955, pp. 21–46.
Densities in Norwegian towns are generally low by international standards, and the high densities in Map I should be judged by Norwegian conditions.
“The Pattern of Movement of Residential Rental Neighborhoods,” which Hoyt reported in 1939, is thus not easily understood in Norway. See the reprint in:Readings in Urban Geography, op. cit., pp. 499–510.
“Nature of Cities Reconsidered,”op. cit.
Sven Godlund, “Den Svanska Urbaniseringen,”Ingeniorsvetenskaps-akademiens meddelande IVA nr. 139, Stockholm, 1964, pp. 21–52.
This was shown in a study by the present author of a neighbouring community west of Oslo. An important factor guiding the choice of where to buy nonfood consumer goods, was the place of work of the principal (earning) member of the family. Food and daily consumer goods, however, were purchased at the nearest shop or larger shopping center. See: Tor Fr. Rasmussen,Naeringsgeografisk Undersøkelse av Baerum Kommune, Oslo, Sandvika, 1963.
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Rasmussen, T.F. The development of a planned plurinuclear city region: Greater oslo. Papers of the Regional Science Association 16, 105–116 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01888940
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01888940