Source: adapted from Harris and Ullman (1945).

Central Places and Transport Places

Harris and Ullman, in their seminal paper on "The Nature of Cities", provide a distinction between cities as central places from those that develop as transport places. Transport places did not specialize in serving a surrounding catchment area (as central places did). Instead, they emerged primarily due to an accessible location along transport corridors. The predominant types of transport places were located along railway lines or along the coastline. Once materials have been traded over long distances, they had to be broken down for final distribution to the local market. This is why Harris and Ullman (1945) have emphasized the "break of bulk" as a major function of transport places.

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