Cities and Urban Land Use: Models, Growth, and Structure
Core concepts
Understand urbanization, urban growth, and suburbanization, plus counterurbanization and gentrification. Learn the classic models: Burgess concentric zone (rings from CBD outward), Hoyt sector (wedges along transport routes), Harris–Ullman multiple nuclei (several centers), and Galactic City (edge cities on the periphery). The Latin American city model (CBD, spine, peripheral squatter settlements) and the Southeast Asian and African models show regional variation. Know central place theory (Christaller): settlements as market centers, with range and threshold determining spacing; larger settlements are fewer and farther apart. Bid-rent theory explains land value peaking at the CBD. Recognize squatter settlements, informal economies, primate cities, rank-size rule, and urban sprawl. New Urbanism, smart growth, and transit-oriented development respond to sprawl. Functional zonation (CBD, zones of transition, residential, industrial) and edge cities are frequently tested.
Traps and a worked example
Do not apply the concentric zone model universally-it assumes a U.S. industrial city; Latin American and Southeast Asian cities differ. Do not confuse edge cities with suburbs generally. Remember rank-size rule applies to a country's city system, not within one city.
Worked example: A city has a strong CBD, a commercial spine, and rapidly growing peripheral settlements with limited services-this fits the Latin American model, not Burgess's rings.