Catchment area

A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are naturally drawn to a location (for example, a labour catchment area^[1]) or as established by governments or organizations such as education authorities or healthcare providers, for the provision of services.

Governments and community service organizations often define catchment areas for planning purposes and public safety such as ensuring universal access to services like fire departments, police departments, ambulance bases and hospitals. In business, a catchment area is used to describe the influence from which a retail location draws its customers.^[2] Airport catchment areas can inform efforts to estimate route profitability.^[3] A health catchment area is of importance in public health, and healthcare planning, as it helps in resource allocation, service delivery, and accessibility assessment.