City Centers and Urban Hierarchy: A Comparative Analysis

City Centers

The activities of a city's inhabitants influence the way a city is organized. Although these activities are often found all over the city, many of them are concentrated in the distinctive place known as the city center. The city center has its own character and is a reference point for its citizens and for visitors. The city centers of many cities, particularly European cities, have historic and emblematic buildings, as well as the headquarters of companies and public administration bodies (councils, ministries, etc.). City centers also host shopping areas and entertainment centers. North American city centers contain the CBD (Central Business District), which features a landscape of skyscrapers and tertiary sector activities. The intensive and extensive growth of some cities has driven economic or administrative activities away from the center to other parts of the city with good transport links.

Cities in Rich Countries

• They consist of a historic center (Europe)
• Expansion zones that are totally built-up
• The outskirts
• Their population is stagnant or declining, causing conurbations and metropolitan areas to form
• High level of technological developments
• Virtually unlimited supply of energy and products for the inhabitants
• Problems of social inequality

Cities in Poor Countries

• The structures consist of a colonial center and large expansion zones
• Densely populated
• Great social inequality
• Most people have very limited access to healthcare and other essential services

The Hierarchy of Cities and Towns

• National City: State capital or another large city with considerable international influence
• Regional City: Medium-sized city with fewer urban functions
• Small City or Town: Area of influence is provincial or regional

The Hierarchy of Spanish Cities

• National Cities: Madrid and Barcelona, due to their size of their populations and their large, metropolitan areas. Important public institutions and large companies are located in both cities
• Regional Cities: Population between 500,000 and 1.5 million
• Sub-Regional Cities: Population between 200,000 and 500,000. Their administrative role attracts people and services
• District Capitals: Towns of between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants. Have facilities and infrastructures that allow them to influence places around them

Capitals

• Andorra - Andorra la Vella
• Ireland - Dublin
• Iceland - Reykjavik
• Sweden - Stockholm
• Finland - Helsinki
• Latvia - Riga
• Lithuania - Vilnius
• Belarus - Minsk
• Ukraine - Kiev
• Poland - Warsaw
• Germany - Berlin
• Denmark - Copenhagen
• Switzerland - Bern
• Malta - Valetta
• Albania - Tirana
• Montenegro - Podgorica
• Bosnia - Sarajevo
• Croatia - Zagreb
• Slovenia - Ljubljana
• Hungary - Budapest
• Slovakia - Bratislava
• Czech Republic - Prague
• Moldova - Chisinau
• Romania - Bucharest
• Serbia - Belgrade
• Macedonia - Skopje
• Bulgaria - Sofia
• Russia - Moscow