Catchment area (human geography)

As a river basin or catchment area, a contiguous area is called, from the moving something to a common center or a line out. This requires appropriate pathways and their natural conditions. Mentioned are the catchment area of ​​a city, a school, a company or a body of water as examples.

The term is mainly used in the physical and economic geography, as well as in the Hydrology and Applied Geophysics.

Economic Geography

The catchment area of ​​a city and its public institutions is referred to by Walter Christaller in his system of central places as " complementary region ". It is oriented towards the central point out of a variety of materials and provides it in turn is supplied from it, for example, in services. Other names of such areas are integration range or coverage area.

In a similar sense, the catchment areas of schools and businesses are to be understood, but can their geographical context, be more relaxed. For training or production facilities, although usually have their regional market, however, speak to customers further away.

The planning of such supply and areas of interest is the responsibility in the public sector - for example, for schools, offices and pharmacies - the authorities and their official regional planning. In the private sector, the planning is for the market research and corporate strategy, and in the further development a matter of advertising. The more specialized a school or a company is aligned, the more branched and also is their catchment area as a rule. The same applies to recreational facilities and particularly for amusement parks.

• Economic Geography
• Spatial Planning