The Lösch System of Market Areas: Derivation and Extension

Certain aspects of Lösch's classic work on the network of markets and the system of networks have not yet been clearly explained in the literature. Lösch did not describe his derivation procedures in full, and apparent printing errors in certain förmulae confuse the issue further, with the result that several recent texts reproduce Lösch's diagrams but offer no explanation of how they are constructed. Accepting the network of hexagonal market areas for a continuous system of markets, given an even but discrete distribution of population, the derivation from first principles of the complete system of different market areas is presented. Apparent errors in the translated text of Lösch's work are corrected. Limitations in some other authors' work and accordance with earlier empirically derived formulae are mentioned. The production of “city-rich” and “city-poor” sectors is shown to be a constraint on, rather than a result of, the system, and Lösch's statement that the coincidence of centers is maximized is clarified. The extension of the Lösch system to the internal tertiary structure of the city is presented and attention drawn to the empirical attractiveness of this approach.     

Löschian Spatial Competition in an Emerging Retail Industry

Löschian competition is traditionally thought to lead to a spatial equilibrium in which firms enter an industry and disperse across geographic space until each firm earns insufficient excess profit to attract net new entrants. This paper assesses the appropriateness of Löschian analysis using video (movie) rental establishments in Toronto as a case example. The video rental business, as we know it today, began to take shape around 1980 and has since seen much turnover. The paper describes the changing pattern of single‐site and chain stores between 1982 and 1999. I use logistic regression to predict the survival of existing establishments. Using survivorship as a proxy for profit, the paper draws conclusions about the extent to which temporal changes in video store location correspond to the tenets of Löschian competition. The coexistence of chain and single‐site stores suggests that there are distinct market niches and that single‐site stores have used a “swarming” strategy to compete against chains. Conclusions are drawn about how the retail sector might evolve in the future because of the locational competition between chains and single‐site stores.     

四库全书琐谈

本文站在时代的高度,以新的视角、新的理念对封建统治者编纂《四库全书》的目的、成立的机构、人员,所选的经典的收集、删削、篡改进行评述,以及历代有识之士对这部巨著的评价,为读者提供了新的思考。     

A Location-Allocation Model of Lösch's Central Place Theory: Testing on a Uniform Lattice Network

This paper develops a location-allocation model of Lösch's central place theory that maximizes the number of firms that can coexist in the market, subject to range, threshold, hierarchy, and other constraints. F.o.b. costs, economies of scale, and elastic demand are included. Consumer behavior postulates concerning the “nearest center hypothesis” and the “indifference principle” are formulated as nonlinear constraints but not used during solution. Methods are developed for simulating the continuous, infinite plain with a discrete, bounded network by use of an outer overflow network and a symmetrical market area constraint. The model is tested by applying it to a uniform lattice network and comparing the results to the expected pattern of nested hexagons. Solutions consistent with the k = 3, 4, and 7 patterns are generated by changing threshold values. However, remaining inconsistencies appear to be due to the inability to express the consumer behavior laws as linear constraints, to the bounded and discrete nature of the network, and to the objective function being the sum of integer variables. The long-run purpose of developing and validating a location-allocation model of a location theory is to use it to relax the theory's restrictive assumptions and to apply the theory to nonuniform regions.     

非物质文化遗产保护工作方法创新琐谈

我国非物质文化遗产的保护方法应该采用公权为主、私权相辅的保护方法。对非物质文化遗产进行解构,通过公权的方式维护其"文化空间",实现其公共利益;通过私权的方式,利用著作权制度保护非物质文化遗产的创新产品,并鼓励其走产业化的发展道路;对于历史悠久的传统作品,可以通过私权与公权相结合的方式,调动相关地方和人员的保护积极性,实现非物质文化遗产应有的利益,保护好我国珍贵的非物质文化遗产。     

对金沙遗址出土部分玉器的几点认识

成都金沙遗址出土的玉器,数量众多,说明玉料来源丰富,其种类与三星堆玉器相似,但也显示出一些差别,与其他地区出土玉器相比也各有特点。中对此作了分析探讨。