Land 2018, 7(3), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/land7030086
The Relative Concentration of Interaction—A Proposal for an Integrated Understanding of Centrality and Central Places
Daniel Knitter 1,*
and Oliver Nakoinz 2
and Oliver Nakoinz 21
Department of Geography, Physical Geography, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 14, 24118 Kiel, Germany
2
Johanna Mestorf Academy, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Leibnizstraße 3, 24118 Kiel, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 2 July 2018 / Revised: 17 July 2018 / Accepted: 19 July 2018 / Published: 20 July 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Central Places and Un-Central Landscapes: Political Economies and Natural Resources in the Longue Durée)
Abstract
The importance of a place can be assessed via an analysis of its centrality. However, although central place research has a long history, there is no generally accepted theoretical base, leading to continuous debates about the core elements of centrality and those features that ultimately constitute the centrality of a place. We propose a generalized definition that understands centrality as the relative concentration of interaction. Using this definition, we are able to integrate various social, cultural, and natural aspects in the analysis of a central place and its landscape setting. We present a semi-quantitative method to assess the actual and potential centrality and that enables us (a) to draw conclusions about the type and characteristics of central places, (b) to investigate their development throughout time, and (c) to compare them to each other. We sketch the application of the method using two exemplary sites: the Iron Age site Heuneburg and the Roman palace Felix Romuliana View Full-Text
Figure 1
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Knitter, D.; Nakoinz, O. The Relative Concentration of Interaction—A Proposal for an Integrated Understanding of Centrality and Central Places. Land 2018, 7, 86.
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