Urban Dominance, Spatial Structure, and Spatial Dynamics: Some Theoretical Conjectures and Empirical Implications

Abstract

Three dimensions of urban systems are investigated in this paper. The first is urban dominance, which refers to the network of influences certain urban places maintain within a system of cities. The second is interurban spatial structure, which refers to the pattern of links existing in a network of urban dominance, together with the nature and degree of those influences pulsating along these links. And, the third is spatial dynamics, which refers to the trajectory along which geographic distributions move through time, and the principles governing this motion. An interface between these three dimensions is articulated both conceptually and analytically. Several interesting conjectures can be derived from this interface. Based upon a data set for Puerto Rico, the conjecture supported best by the empirical evidence is that differences among geographic areas are principally due to effects stemming from the prevailing spatial structure.