THE JOY OF GEOGRAPHY*

I may be the first past president of the cag to come to the podium with two addresses ready for delivery. One is rather lengthy and formal, representative of some of my work during the last decade or so. The second is shorter and lighter in tone, rather personal, but hopefully it will be taken in the spirit in which it is offered.
I have, of course, been thinking about this address for months. A number of people have suggested that I should discuss topics of common interest, including resources management, historical geography, national parks and public land, conservation, cultural ecology, and the Canadian Arctic. In urging me to address these topics colleagues provided various reasons, ranging from neglect of the subject in Canadian geography to its relevance to public policy. I am grateful for this advice, which has not, however, prevented me from procrastinating in finally deciding upon a topic.     

Dynamic Central Place Theory: Results of a Simulation Approach

A dynamic central place theory is formulated as a simulation model in which retail activities, described by cost equations, and consumers, described by spatial interaction equations, interact to generate a central place system. The behavior of the model is then examined. Simulation results show that the basic character of the system—whether it is agglomerated or dispersed—depends primarily on a single parameter in the interaction equation, and only secondarily on the specification of the cost function. The results are highly robust in that they are largely independent of the initial sizes and locations of centers, and even independent of the type of interaction equation used. The patterns generated appear plausible.