Urban Land Use Models

3 - Urban Land Use Models

Simplified graphic summaries of large

urban centres in the USA.

Used to describe the structure of the central

city areas.

Economic and technological advances have

superseded the usefulness of these models

but they still describe the basic physical

structure of a city.

Urban land use models

Common starting point is the CBD.

Models differ in how they explain the

location and development of the city outside

of the CBD.

Three main types of models:

Concentric zone model (Burgess 1920’s)

Sector model (Hoyt 1930’s)

Multiple-nuclei model (Harris and Ullman

1940’s)

Concentric zone model

Views the urban area as a set of four nested rings:

1 – transition zone: deterioration of old residential area, now high-density, low-income ghettos.

2 – zone of “working people” residential area (older homes on small lots.

3 – single-family house zone: population wealthy enough to afford housing choice, and able to commute.

4 – commuter zone: low-density suburbs.

Burgess’s Concentric Model

CBD

Central Business

District

CBD

CBD

Central Business

District

Inner City

Burgess’s Concentric Model

Inner City

CBD

Central Business

District

Inner City

Inner Suburbs

Burgess’s Concentric Model

Inner Suburbs

CBD

Central Business

District

Inner City

Inner Suburbs

Outer Suburbs

Burgess’s Concentric Model

Outer Suburbs

CBD

Inner Suburbs

Outer Suburbs

Inner City

Burgess’s Concentric Model

Modeling Cities: Burgess

1 CBD - businesses, highest land value

2 Transition Zone - poorest people, blue collar used to live here

3 Independent Workers - apartments, blue collar workers (walk to work)

4 White Collar Homes - horse and buggy, streetcars

5 Commuters - no daily contact (lettuce farmers); later trains allow many

Concentric zone model

In Chicago, Burgess’s home town, the great fire of 1871 leveled the core

– The result of rebuilding was a more explicit social patterning

– Chicago became a segregated city with a concentric pattern

– This was the city Burgess used for his model

– The actual map of the residential area does not exactly match his simplified concentric zones

Hoyt – The Sector Model

What is the Hoyt sector model?

Hoyt proposed the idea that towns grew as sectors or wedges.

Industry grew up in one part of a 19th century town, future industries would then develop in that sector.

As the town grew, so would the area of industry and therefore would grow out in a wedge shape.

Hoyt – his idea.

A –The Central Business District (CBD)

This area contains shops, offices, banks, etc.

Land is expensive, and this area has high rents and

multi storey buildings as a consequence.

There is very little space and competition is high.

Congestion levels are high.

Vegetated areas are sparse.

B1- Zone of Transition (Twilight zone)

This contains old industries that have been positioned in this zone for many years.

Over the past 20 years, this industry has been non-profitable and has closed.

This has led to high-unemployment.

This area should be re-developed into modern

business districts.

B2- Low class residential housing

This group is made up of old 19th century

buildings. With no gardens.

Often referred to as ‘slums’. These were the

buildings that were knocked down in the 1960’s to

be replaced with high rise flats.

The poorest people in the settlement live here, but

is now highly admired and the place to live now

(due to gentrification).

C- Council Estates

Semi-detached housing is found here with no

gardens.

These houses are built on large estates.

Less expensive private estates can also be found

here.

Often described as ‘medium class residential’ or

‘inter-war’ areas.

D- Commuter zone

This is a high class residential area where private,

quality housing can be found.

Detached and semi-detached housing can be built

on cheaper land.

Often lots of garages, big gardens, and many out

buildings can be found here.

Most people commute to work from this zone as it

is furthest away from the centre.

E- Countryside Areas

In the countryside surrounding the urban area,

those seeking to escape from the urban area can

live in pleasant surroundings.

However, they are still close to work.

Many satellite villages and towns surround major

urban areas allowing people to live further away

from the main settlement.

Stresses the importance of transportation corridors. Sees

growth of various urban activities as expanding along roads,

rivers, or train routes.

Modeling Cities: Hoyt

Harris-Ullman – The Multiple

Nuclei Model

Multiple-nuclei model

Large cities develop by the spread from several nodes, not just the one CBD.

Individual nodes with specific functions (industrial, commercial, residential) developed originally due to benefits from clustering next to similar activities

Multiple nuclei model

The model has four geographic principles

– Certain activities require highly specialised facilities

• Accessible transportation for a factory

• Large areas of open land for a housing tract

– Certain activities cluster because they profit from

mutual association

– Certain activities repel each other and will not be found

in the same area

– Certain activities could not make a profit if they paid

the high rent of the most desirable locations

Stresses the importance of multiple nodes of activity, not a

single CBD. Ports, airports, universities attract certain uses

while repelling others.

Modeling Cities:

Harris-Ullman

Changes in Cities in the U.S. U.S. population has been moving out of the city centers

to the suburbs: suburbanisation and counterurbanisation

U.S. intraregional migration during 1990s.

Developed Countries:

suburbanisation wealthy move to suburbs

automobiles and roads;

‘American Dream’

better services

wealthy move to suburbs

counterurbanisation idyllic settings

cost of land for retirement

slow pace, yet high tech

connections to services and

markets