Handout 2
Where do people go?
Basic Model for determining where people might go for goods
and services.
Given
a flat open surface (figure 1) with no obstacles, where would you likely
go for basic goods or services (i.e. milk, gas, bread)? Why?
- If the
surface was changed (figure 2)due to a river passing through, how
would your choices change?

- If you
were to divide figure 1 into zones where customers should come to stores
1, 2, & 3, where would you place the boundaries? (Draw your suggested
boundaries on figure 1.)
- Assuming
that the river in figure 2 is not easily crossed, where would the
boundaries for each store now be placed? (Draw your suggested boundaries
on figure 2). The area serving each store in our simple models is called a
trade area.
Higher
Level Model: now let’s examine a model that has an assortment of products
as well as the basic products we found in the basic model.
- Now
look at the five stores and in pencil draw the likely boundaries for
hinterlands that would likely represent your need for very basic products
(figure 3).
- Now
draw boundaries for figure 3 for products found only in larger stores 2
& 4. Assuming a flat uniform surface, will these boundaries change if
a limited access freeway passes through the map in figure 3? Explain?