METHOD OF REGIONALIZATION IN

REGIONAL PLANNING
 REGIONALIZATION
Regionalization refers to the processes of spatial ordering and the organization of
activities within certain areas (regions) that are distinct from existing governance
arrangements. It is the process of making a region based on the homogeneous
geographical variables. 
Regional delimitation is done using various statistical and mathematical techniques.
Regionalization includes - Identification of variable such as
• Natural geographical variable:
• Climate
• Temperature
• Topography
• Vegetation
• Rainfall
• Minerals
• Artificial Variable
• GDP
• Percapita Income
• HDI
• Sex Ratio, fertility ratio, birth rate, the death rate
• Migration
• Productivity, crop production type
• Land use
• Political types such as democrats, autocrat, communism, socialism
• Religion-based
• Language-based
• Culture-based
• Demarcation of boundaries
• Physical barriers
• Line
• Frontiers
• Boundaries may be real or only exist in the mind
• Making the simple understandable region
 Methods of Regionalization

• Regionalization of Formal  Region:

• Single Variable method
• Weighted Index Number Methods
• Factor Analysis Method
• Fixed Index Method
• Cluster Method
• Regionalization of Functional  Region
• Flow analysis
• Gravitation analysis
• Theissen Polygon Method
Delineation of formal regions involves the grouping together of local units which
have similar characteristics according to certain clearly defined criteria and which
differ significantly from the units outside the region on the basis of certain chosen
criteria.
• The criteria can be unemployment rate, activity rate, migration trends, per capita
income etc.
• The characteristics should differ significantly from units outside the region.
• The delineation depend on the development objectives.
• Variables for delineation of formal region (homogeneous):
• Land use characteristics
• Demographic characteristics;
• Transport infrastructure;
• Social service and public utilities;
• Socio-economic structures, of the region can be isolated.
 Regionalization for the formal region

• Regionalization is done based on the similarities of the specific formal

characters, the following methods are used to demarcate the formal region:
•Single variable method: 
•Based on the single variable similarities, regions are classified. 
• For example, if we take language as a variable, then compare the
language in geographical areas. Based on the similarities in language,
the region can be delimitated.
• If we take the temperature as a single variable, then temperate and
tropical regions can be classified. 
• Weighted Index Number Method
In this method, some indices (parameters) are chosen and given weights, total
weights for each part is separately calculated and areas with similar weights are
carved out. This area is termed as ‘region’.
• Example: For identifying employment & income level delineation, the study
area is divided into several localities varying according to unemployment rates
and per capita income levels. The aim is to isolate the main problem region;
i.e. the area of economic malaise. Weights are assigned to each criteria and
when taken together and weighted, one of the region can be isolated.
• Fixed index method:
• In this method, many variables are selected and weight is assigned in each
variable based on the importance. The index is made from these variables
based on the weight. 
•For example, 
• HDI, in the HDI, there are three main variables ( education, health, income)
assigned by the same weight. There are many sub-variables in each main
variable. 
• The other examples of fixed index methods are CPI, WPI index, etc.
• Human Development Index (HDI)
• An index figure reflects the change in a set of associated variables over a
time period and in a particular direction.
• HDI is a statistical tool used to measure a country’s overall achievement in
its social and economic dimensions.
• It is one of the best tools to keep track of the level of development of a
country, as it combines all major social and economic indicators that are
responsible for economic development.
• Pakistani economist Mahbub-ul-Haq created HDI in 1990 which was further
used to measure the country’s development by the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP).
• Every year UNDP ranks countries based on the HDI report released in their
annual report.
• Calculation of the index combines four major indicators: life expectancy for
health, expected years of schooling, mean of years of schooling for education
and GNI per capita for the standard of living.
• Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) are the
two primary measures of inflation.
• Price index is reflective of the total change in price level paid by a producer or
consumer.
• WPI index reflects average price changes of goods that are bought and sold in the
wholesale market. WPI in India is published by the Office of Economic Adviser,
Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The various commodities taken into consideration for computing the WPI can be
categorized into primary article, fuel and power, and manufactured goods.
• Primary articles included for the computation of WPI include food articles, non-food
articles and minerals. In the fuel, power, light and lubricants, electricity, coal mining
and mineral oil are included.
• The manufactured goods category encompasses food products; beverages, tobacco,and
tobacco products; wood and wood products, textiles; paper and paper products; basic
metals and alloys; rubber and rubber products and many others. An, important point to
take note of is the wholesale price index (WPI) does not includes the cost of services.
• CPI is determined at retail stage, where consumers are directly involved. Hence, CPI 
method better measures the effect of inflation on general public. RBI adopted CPI as the
key measure for determining inflation situation of economy,on recommendation of Urjit
Patel Committee.
• CPI is computed by executing a weighted average on a particular set of goods and
services. The computation of CPI takes into account price changes and the actual
inflation that affects the end consumer. CPI is thus a reflection of changes in the retail
prices of specified goods and services over a time period which are traded by particular
consumer group.
• Cluster Method:
• The cluster method is employed to identify homogenous regions. The cluster are mapped with
the help of mapping techniques whereas inter-related variables are mapped with the help of
superimposed techniques. The composite ranking of areas is used when the variables are too
many and have weak relations.
• Economists and geographers such as Ashok Mitra, Schwartzberg, M.J. Hagood and M.N. Pal
popularised different methods to delineate regions. Where its not possible to compare between
two features, Multivarriate superimposition is done. Ex. Political Boundary, Steel & food.
• The cluster method is used where the comparison of the variable is not possible. It is the process
of identifying natural homogenous groups existing in data, so that the similarity within and the
difference among groups may be used for understanding the basic character of the data.
• For example, a comparison of agriculture production to the fish production is not possible, but if
we make similar types of the variable such as primary activities to one cluster. By this method,
fish producing & agriculture producing can be mapped to the single region.
 Regionalization of the Functional Region

The following methods of regionalization are used in the functional region :

• Flow Analysis: 
• Regional boundaries are marked by the flow areas of goods and services. 
• For example, if the industry gets labor and raw
material input from domestic country and influence
zone of final goods & services of that industry is a
domestic market only, then by flow analysis, a
region of that particular industry would be a
country.
• If a district is the influence area of a particular good
that district would be the region of that good.
• Flow intensity increase from the boundaries of the
region to core. Flow intensity is zero in the
Formal region of an industry  boundaries of the region.
•Flow analysis builds up functional regions on the basis of the direction and intensity of flows between
the dominant centre and surrounding satellites. Each flow will show decreasing intensity as it becomes
more distant from the main centre and increasing intensity as it approaches another centre. The
boundary of the sphere of influence of the dominant centre will be where the flow intensity at a
minimum. When the flow significantly drops, that means interaction/origin’s influence drops. In terms of
distance, in a particular direction, there is the influence of the node and there onwards it drops. This
gives cut off points. Tentative delineation is done.
•In the flow analysis, the processional regions are demarcated based on the direction and intensity of
flow between the principal centre and the sub-cities around it. The flow decreases according to the
distance from the principal centre and the effect increases as it approaches the other centre. Where the
flow intensity around the principal centre is minimal, there is a limit to the circumference of the effect of
that centre. This flow can be of any kind, economic, objective, social and political etc. Goods,
passengers, roads and railways under economic influence; Purposeful flows include buying,
exchanging, etc.; The social flow includes the flow of students or patients, the political flow includes the
flow of government expenditure, the information system (telegram, newspapers etc.).
•Functional territories are also demarcated on the basis of bus service, Graph theory is the ransformed
form of flow analysis approach. This is a very simple and systematic method of demarcation of
functional territories.
• Gravitational Analysis:
• Gravity model is a very popular econometric model in international trade.
• The name came from its utilizing the gravitational force concept as an analogy to
explain the volume of bilateral trade flows.
• Proposed by Tinbergen (1962). Through gravitational analysis, we can get the
possibility of the flow of goods & services between two geographical areas. 
• For example, the flow of goods and services from the village is maximum to the
near city and very less to far distanced city. 
• Larger countries trade more than smaller ones.
• Trade costs between two trade partners reduce trade between them.
• Gravitational flow = Population of region 1 * Population of region 2/ Square of
the distance between two regions 
• Thiessen Polygon Method of Regional Delimitation 
• Thiessen polygon method is used to mark the functional region boundaries.
• It was used by Bogue in 1949, to demarcate 67 metropolitan territories in the US.
• This method was used in the USA to identify the rainfall region. There is a unique
property of the Thiessen polygon that there is only one node in each polygon.
• It is useful in demarcating administrative regions as they are usually functional; for
example, the district headquarter serves as the node for the entire district. It is also
used for delineating precipitation regions. 
• Uses of Theissen polygon:
• § In land-use planning
• § Identifying the functional area of Hospitals, Schools, Shopping malls, cities, etc.
• § Rainfall pattern area identification
The following five steps were used to mark the boundaries of the region:
1. Identify the major function nodes location over geographical areas for finding
the functional region of nodes. In the below figure, A, B, and C are the
functional node of geographical areas.
2. Connect all nodes with the line. In the below figure, Triangle ABC will form by
connecting the functional nodes of A, B, and C.
3. Mark the middle point of the line AB, BC, and CA.
4. Create the longitudinal line form the middle point from each edge. The
intersection of all this longitudinal line will create one center node.

Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4:

5. Connect the line starting from center node ( i.e "O") to middle note of each
edge and extend it up to geographical boundaries (marking A1, B1, and C1).
A polygon drawn from connecting to this longitudinal line in which only one
node should be there is called Theissen polygon.

Finally:
§ The functional region of A will be the area of A1OC1.
§ The functional region of B will be the area of A1OB1.
§ The functional area of C will be the area of C1OB1

Step 5:
 GROWTH CENTERS AND GROWTH POLES
• Growth is not ubiquitous in nature, it does not happen everywhere.
• The growth of the region starts from points, centers, and poles.
Growth points
• First, the growth of a region starts from points with very basic consumer
goods industries such as food processing industries, small textiles,
handicrafts, small steel plants. Growth points are the third rank cities of
geographical region.
• For examples, from 1960 to 1980:
• The growth point of the Jharkhand region was Bokaro, Dhanbad, Ranchi.
• Growth point of Chhatisgarh was Bhilai, Raipur.
• The growth point of Uttar Pradesh was Kanpur, Allahabad, Renukoot.
 Growth Centre

• Bauldevile developed the concept of growth centre. A growth centre is a place that
provides goods & services to the surrounding population. It is an American concept
having local geographical or regional significance. Not much investment required as
compared to the growth pole but closely linked to the development of the growth pole. 
• Over time, due to centrifugal force works around the growth points, it attracts capital,
brain, people, a technology from the surrounding region and it becomes the growth
centre of the surrounding region.
• The growth centre is second rank cities of the geographical region. In the growth
center, dominant activities are secondary and tertiary activities. Large firms and many
activities can be seen in the growth center.
• The cities that were growth point from 1960 to 1970, now become the growth centre of
the region. For example, Bokaro steel city is the growth centre of the Jharkhand
region.
 Growth Poles

• Growth Pole is a French idea of the economic construct which has national
significance. Huge capital needed for very large scale production. Many
growth centers existed in one growth pole. The concept of growth poles was
given by French geographer Perroux in 1955.
• Growth poles are the first rank cities where agglomeration of many activities
can be seen.
• Due to diffusion and spread out the effects of economic activities from growth
poles, it reduces regional inequality.
• For example, the growth poles of India are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
Bangalore, Chennai. Due to the spread-out effect and diffusion of economic
activities many satellite towns ( growth center) developed around growth
poles. Delhi has many satellite towns such as Gurgaon, Meruth, Gaziabad,
etc.
 R.P MISHRA THEORY OF REGIONAL PLANNING

• Perroux and Bauldevile did not mention the population concept in growth poles
and growth centers respectively. Indian geographer, Dr. R.P Mishra integrated
population concept with growth poles & growth centre. 
• As per R.P Mishra, there should be five levels of growth location in larger
countries for regional planning.
• The five levels are: 
•Growth poles 
•Growth centre
•Growth points 
•Service centre 
•Market village
• Growth poles - It is the first rank cities of the countries having at least more than 25 lakh population
that works as growth poles of the countries. Massive economic activities may happen in growth poles
and diffusion & spread out of these economic activities around the poles benefits the whole
regions. For example, the Growth poles of India are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore. 
• Growth centres - It is the second rank cities having a population around 5 lakh and it serves the
growth points. For example,  the capital city ( Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, etc) of Indian states and some
other large cities( Bokaro, Dhanbad) are the growth center of the countries. 
• Growth points - These are third rank cities and having approximately 1 lakh population and serve
the service center around the growth point. 
• For examples,  districts level cities such as Renukoot city of Uttar Pradesh is the examples of growth
point. 
• Service centres - The cities which have around 20, 000 population and serve the market village
around the services center. The service center provides some specific types of services such as
hospitals, schools, and banking. 
• Market villages -  It has around 5000 population that serves the villages around the market village
and can be involved in small non-primary activities such as food processing, craft, etc.
To be continued ....