Centripetal and Centrifugal Networks

Centripetal and Centrifugal Networks

Networks tend to have two significant spatial effects on flows, which are centrifugal and centripetal. These effects depend on the structure of the network and its relationship with the distribution of origins and destinations.

  • Centrifugal networks have no specific centrality as no node is significantly more connected than the others. They typically have a grid-like pattern.
  • Centripetal networks have a strong centrality where one or several nodes are much more connected that the others. They typically have a radial pattern.

A network rarely has a pure centrifugal or centripetal structure. Some networks are more centrifugal or centripetal than others.