Applications of central place theory- ideas have been employed widely in regional planning schemes in USA, Canada, everywhere- Dutch Polderlands, In the second, north-east, polder a settlement pattern was carefully planned in an attempt to avoid the mistakes of the Wieringermeer. Since it was one of the few places in the world where no historical or physical obstacles frustrated the realisation of a theoretical spatial model, Christaller’s hierarchical system was applied with some modifications. In the middle of the area a regional centre, Emmeloord, was founded (with a target population of 10,000), with ten surrounding villages as local service centres each with target populations of 1,000–2,000. Despite this careful planning, however, the settlement pattern quickly demonstrated a number of shortcomings. Because of agricultural mechanisation and the reduced demand for labour, the populations of most villages did not reach the target (threshold) figure, making it difficult to keep the services feasible and the community viable