汉水流域下的政区等级体系在历史时期发生了较大变化,大致为:二级演变为三级,再演变为四级。在其流域背景下的中心城市发展经历了如下几个阶段:南阳首位城市的形成阶段(秦汉时期)、南阳-襄阳双核城市的形成阶段(三国至隋唐时期)、囊阳-武汉双核城市的形成阶段(唐至南宋时期)、武汉首位城市的确立阶段(元代以后)。由于受地形因素、社会经济以及历史条件的影响,汉水流域城镇密度存在着较大差异,呈现出由较均衡至不均衡再到较为均衡的过程。汉水流域的城镇在空间分布上是不均匀的,主要集中于汉水及其支流两旁。流域内中心城市的分布也发生了由南阳到囊阳,再由囊阳到武汉的变迁;双核结构在汉水流域中心城市空间结构演变中有着广泛的应用价值和研究价值。
The urban administrative gradation in Hanshui basin has changed from 2 grade to 4 grade: 2 grade during 221 BC-AD220 and AD589-756; 3 grade during AD220-589 and AD757-980; 4 grade during after AD960. The urban development has four historical periods: the period having Nanyang as the chief city(221BC- 220AD) ; the period forming dual-nuclei structure that is composed of Nanyang and Xiangyang city(AD220- 618); the period forming dual-nuclei structure that is composed of Xiangyang and Wuhan city(AD618-1279)~ the period establishing Wuhan as the chief city (after 1279). Because of terrain, social economy and history condition, the urban density in Hanshui basin is quite different, whose development is from balance to imbalance and from imbalance to balance. The urban distribution is asymmetry owing to most lying beside Hanshui and its branch. And the centre city changes from Nanyang to Xiangyang and from Xiangyang to Wuhan in different historic period. Dual-nuclei structure has major application and research value during the development of the urban spatial structure in Hanshui basin.