Urban Structure Models

Urban Structure Models

• The grid model divides land into streets that run at right angles to each other, forming a grid, and promotes development.
• Grid plans are more common in North American cities than in European cities.
• The grid model facilitates development by allowing developers to subdivide and auction off large parcels of land, and yields regular lots that maximize use and minimize boundary disputes.
• However, grids can be dangerous because long, straight roads allow faster automobile traffic.

Concentric Ring/Zone Model

• The concentric ring/zone model was postulated by sociologist Ernest Burgess in 1924, based on his observations of Chicago.
• The model draws on human ecology theories, which compare the city to an ecosystem.
• Urban residents naturally sort themselves into five concentric rings or ecological niches, depending on class and cultural assimilation.
• The five rings are:
  • Zone A: Central business district (CBD)
  • Zone B: Zone of transition, containing industry and poorer-quality housing
  • Zone C: Zone of independent workers’ homes
  • Zone D: Zone of newer and larger houses occupied by the middle-class
  • Zone E: Commuter’s zone, residential suburbs

Limitations of the Concentric Ring/Zone Model

• The model's general applicability has been challenged, as it does not accurately describe urban geography in other countries.
• The model fails to account for topographical and physical features of the landscape.
• Advances in transportation and communication have blurred the zones in new cities.

Other Urban Structure Models

• Sectoral model: assumes that the city develops in wedge-shaped sectors instead of rings, with certain areas being more attractive for various activities.
• Multiple nuclei model: assumes that car ownership granted people more mobility and led to the development of specialized regional centers within cities.
• Irregular pattern model: developed to better explain urban structure in the Third World, where there is often a lack of planning or construction.

Key Terms

• Central business district (CBD): the central area of a city in which a concentration of certain retail and business activities takes place.
• Urban open space: open space areas for parks, green spaces, and other open areas.
• Human ecology: describes the city as analogous to an ecosystem, with natural processes of adaptation and assimilation.

Learn about the different models of urban structure, including grid, sectoral, and concentric ring models, and analyze their similarities and differences using human ecology theory.