Rank-Clocks: The Ranking Trajectory of the 100 Largest Cities in Poland (1950–2022)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18778/2543-9421.10.04Keywords:
rank-clocks, rank-size, urban system, PolandAbstract
This study refers to the rank-clocks method proposed by Batty (2006), who pointed out that the classic rank-size method developed by Zipf (1949) omits from its analysis micro-changes in the hierarchy of cities. Based on the population of the 100 largest Polish cities, their ranking was tracked between 1950 and 2022, and those cities whose trajectories were similar to the classic ones proposed by Batty (2014) were identified. The method uses a polar graph called a rank clock, which allowed the finding and identifying of the most stable cities, as well as those leaving or spectacularly entering the 100 largest cities of the Polish settlement system.
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