Inter-settlement information flows pattern and nodal structures of a developing area - Case study of Ogun State, Nigeria

Considering the important role spatial flows of information play in spatial and regional development and in view of the special position of mail as an important medium of information exchange in the developing countries, this study attempts to examine the nature of functional ties and the structure of nodal regions exhibited through inter-settlement mail movements in a developing area of Nigeria. The study empirically demonstrates the usefulness of mall traffic as a means of delimiting functional (nodal) regions. By using the principle of dominant association under the general graph theoretic approach, the study reveals the emergence of six settlements as important nodal centres in the study area. Going by the number of settlements associated with each of the identified nodal centres, the relative influence of the centres determined and the planning implications of the observed nodal structures were discussed . The study shows how the spatial pattern of information flows among the constituent parts of a region can provide useful clues to the understanding of the regional development in the area.Filani M. O., Jegede Francis J. Inter-settlement information flows pattern and nodal structures of a developing area - Case study of Ogun State, Nigeria. In: NETCOM : Réseaux, communication et territoires / Networks and Communication Studies, vol. 6 n°1, janvier 1992. pp. 243-271