SPATIAL DIFFUSION

• The process by which a concept, practice, or substance spreads from its point of origin to new territories
• Two types
  • Relocation diffusion
  • Expansion diffusion

• RELOCATION DIFFUSION
  • Sequential diffusion is the process in which items being diffused are transmitted by their carrier agents as they evacuate the old areas & relocate to new areas.
  • The most common form of relocation diffusion involves the spreading of innovations by a migrating population.

• RELOCATION DIFFUSION (SCHEMATIC)

• EXPANSION DIFFUSION
  • The spreading of an innovation or idea through a fixed population in such a way that the number of those adopting grows continuously larger, resulting in an expanded area of dissemination
  • Two types
  • Contagious Expansion
  • Hierarchical Expansion

• CONTAGIOUS EXPANSION
  • The distance-controlled spreading of an idea, innovation, or some other item through a local population by contact from person to person
  • Analogous to the communication of a contagious disease
  • CONTAGIOUS EXPANSION (SCHEMATIC)

• HIERARCHICAL EXPANSION
  • A form of diffusion in which an idea or innovation spreads by "trickling down" from larger to smaller adoption units
  • An urban hierarchy is usually involved, encouraging the leapfrogging of innovations over wider areas, with geographic distance a less important factor.
  • HIERARCHICAL EXPANSION (SCHEMATIC)

   

• DIFFUSION OF ISLAM (MAP)