1987 Volume 42 Issue 3 Pages 154-166
In geography, there are two viewpoints in analyzing the spatial structure, those are, homogeneous regions and nodal regions. Many studies up to now are analyzed it from these viewpoints. This paper aims hirstly to investigate the structural characteristics of homogeneous regions based on socio-economic variables and that of nodal regions based on work/school-trip flows, secondly to clarify the change in homogeneous regions and in nodal ones from 1960 to 1980, and lastly to examine the inter-dependency between the two structures with the framework of Berry's general field theory. Hokuriku district, composed of Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui prefectures is chosen as the study area. Three prefectures in Hokuriku District are recognized as one region which the socio-economics activities and work/school-trip flows are united. Reserch units in this paper are legal cities, towns, and villages. The results of analysis are summarized as follows : 1) In order to clarify the change in the homogeneous regions in Hokuriku district, the statistical data of 48 variables for 111 unit areas were arranged into the 111×48 matrix in the periods of 1960 and 1980. Factor analysis was applied to the 222×48 matrix which was produced by merging the two matrices in 1960 and 1980. As the results of this analysis, four factors accounting for 66.8% of the total variance were extracted, those are, socio-economics status (40.16%), urban hierarchy (14.48%), suburbs (6.9%) and depopulated areas (5.12%). The scores of the 1st factor were all negative in 1960, on the other hand, were all positive in 1980. It was shown definitely by the factor scores that the socio-economic status of the people were remarkably raised during 20 years. The distribution of the 2nd factor score showed in the plain area with high values and in mountain villages with low values. And the scores of the factor 4 were in contrast with the factor 2. In the spatial arrangement of the 3rd factor scores, concentric patterns were distinctly recognized. 2) The work/school-trip flows were synthesized by Q-mode factor analysis with 21 regions in 1960 and 17 regions in 1980. The principal destinations of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd factors in each period were the prefectural capitals. Medium ranking factors were expressed by the flows to the sub-prefectural capitals, and lower ranking factors indicated the local flows. In comparison with factors extracted in 1960, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd factors in 1980 augmented their percentage of the total variance. 3) Using the Canonical analysis, the interdependency between the homogeneous (socio-economic) and the nodal (work/school-trip flows) regions were confirmed. Two canonical variates were extracted. Inter-pretations of them are sumarized as follows : 1, the work/school flows to the cities that have a high central function and the high wholesales activity were come from peripheral cities, towns, and villages within the Fukui, Toyama, Komatsu, and Kanazawa spheres. 2, The city with locai central function such as Tsurugimachi has not a high wholesales activity.
