The changing urban hierarchy in England and Wales, 1913-1998

Following the earlier work of SMAILES, 1944, and SMI TH, 1968, the changing urban hierarchy of England has been plotted for 1913, 1938, 1965 and 1998, using two alternative composite measures: an urban hierarchy embodying a number of different measures of urbanity; and a retail hierarchy based on department stores and multiples. The two sets of results differ somewhat in detail, but certain common trends are observable: notably, a north-south shift and a coastal-inland shift. Finally, an attempt is made to produce a composite hierarchy for the most important centres. These, the study concludes, have enhanced their position at the expense of smaller centres.