The higher up the pyramid you go, the size of the settlement and the distance between settlements of the same size increases. If you look at the diagram, the smaller the settlement the bigger the frequency of those settlement sizes. So there are more isolated dwellings than hamlets, more hamlets than villages etc.
Services
The number of services will increase with settlement size, so a single conurbation will have far more services than a single city. Smaller settlements will have low order services; post offices, newsagents and local GP's clinic. Whereas large towns (and upwards on the diagram) will have high order services; hospitals, chain stores and leisure centers.
Sphere of Influence
The larger the settlement, the larger the sphere of influence. This means they will attract people from greater distances to the facilities they provide.
The diagram above displays how the concept of the 'sphere of influence' works. The yellow hypermarket attracts people from a far greater distance in and around the city limits whereas the red corner shop attracts a far smaller amount of of people.
Activity: Here teachers could as students to describe the diagram above in great detail to see if they understand the term sphere of influence. Excellent work will see students comparing sizes, sphere of influence and WHY the sizes differ e.g. greater number of corner shops than hypermarket so people will have to travel less distance to visit one. OR the type of products the shops sell, a newspaper from a corner shop is easier to find than a sofa from a chain furniture shop.
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