Toward a theory of urban structure : the impact of seasonal-population activities on city structure

Abstract

A critical review of the literature of urban structure reveals that there are two main problems related to the theory of urban structure: (1) the absence of a comprehensive theory, and (2) the underestimation of the role of exogenous factors in shaping city structure. The main objectives of this research are: (1) to establish a theoretical framework for a unified theory of urban structure through a critical review of literature and (2) to examine the impact of seasonal-population activities, as an exogenous factor, on city structure. Three hypotheses are tested. Hypothesis 1 examines the distribution pattern of seasonal population with respect to the location of the attraction point. Hypothesis 2 examines the impact of seasonal population distribution on retail and services land-use distribution pattern. Hypothesis 3 examines the impact of seasonal-population distribution on urban quality. Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and Bryan-College Station, Texas, USA, are used to verify these hypotheses. The main findings are: (1) seasonal-population distribution is highly concentrated around an attraction point; (2) a strong positive correlation exists between seasonal-population concentration pattern and density distribution of retail land-use; (3) services land-use distribution does not exhibit any association with seasonal-population distribution pattern, and (4) a strong negative association exists between the seasonal-population concentration level and the quality of urban structure. Three descriptive models are developed to present the distribution pattern of seasonal population, retail land-use, and urban quality with respect to the attraction point. A theoretical framework of a unified theory for urban structure also is proposed.