СЕЛЬСКОЕ НАСЕЛЕНИЕ В СИСТЕМАХ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНЫХ МЕСТ

Abstract

The main quantitative indicator of the Central Place Theory (CPT), which makes it possible to put forward many of its provisions, is the share of the central place in the population of the area it serves (k). Earlier, we proposed a complete version of the proof of the constancy of k for all hierarchical levels for any values of k, and also established an upper bound for their set in the form of a nonstrict invariant. However, what is k in itself? At first glance, the answer is obvious: this parameter is the quotient of dividing the population of the central place by the population of the area it serves. At the same time, what population size should be taken for consideration? All domestic and foreign studies within the CPT proceed from the assumption that, comparing theory with empirical reality, we should consider urban settlement systems not as closed systems, but as fragments of the settlement continuum. The article examines the phenomenon of uniform distribution of the rural population in the systems of central places. It is shown that in the works of our predecessors, the systems of central places were actually considered not as part of a continuous and infinite continuum of settlement, but as independent systems. It has been established that within the isolated systems of central places, the rural population is not distributed evenly, but in the corresponding hierarchical settlements. An equation is derived for the dependence of the share of the rural population in the total population of the system on the fundamental parameters of the latter Thus, for isolated systems, the total population includes the number of not only the central places, but also the rural population. At the same time, we substantiated the possibility of the existence of such within isolated areas – within state borders or, for example, on the islands. Consideration of the latter was undertaken by researchers earlier, however, the possibility of their existence was not proved and, as a result, their consideration from the point of view of the CPT was not substantiated.