divergence viewpoint
is the recognition that physical points (places on the
earth) are in relative motion with respect to one
another whenever functional measures (such as travel
time and cost) are used as the distance metric. Because
levels of investment in transportation and communication
technologies are not uniform, some places
converge much more rapidly with the remainder of the
settlement system than others. Some places, bypassed
by modern space-adjusting technologies, will diverge,
and others will converge and diverge selectively relative
to various parts of the urban system. Variations in
the set of rates that define convergence among all
possible pairs of places create a nonhomogeneous
time–space that is relative and dependent on the
inferred movement of places with respect to one
another. In this time–space, places are seen to compete
in their quest to gain relative accessibility over other
places, thereby gaining advantages for attracting
economic and other opportunities