A size-function typology of cities

Area of Science:

• Urban Studies
• Sociology
• Geography

Background:

• Existing urban area classification systems often rely solely on economic function.
• A comprehensive classification system should incorporate multiple key variables for greater accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the characteristics of an ideal urban area classification system.
• To develop and introduce a novel size-function system for classifying urban areas.
• To demonstrate the advantages of the new system over traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• Defined ideal characteristics for a classification system.
• Selected economic function and population size as primary criterion variables.
• Applied the new size-function system to classify U.S. urban areas with populations over 10,000 in 1960.

Main Results:

• Developed a new size-function system for urban area classification.
• Demonstrated the superiority of the size-function approach compared to purely functional systems.
• Provided a comprehensive size-functional classification of U.S. urban areas (1960 population > 10,000).

Conclusions:

• The integrated size-function classification system offers a more robust framework for understanding urban areas.
• This classification method enhances the analysis of urban dynamics and structures.
• The study provides valuable data for urban planning and policy-making.