Cities are ranked in a hierarchy: hamlet to megalopolisLargest megalopolis in USA = NYC area (Bos – Wash) 3. Cities have many issues to deal with Race relations Traffic Water delivery/ infrastructure Pollution Sprawl2. ![]() However, the Burgess model remains useful as a concept explaining concentric urban development, as a way to introduce the complexity of urban land use, and to explain urban growth in American cities in the early-mid 20th century.2. The concentric model assumed a spatial separation of workplace and place of residence, which was not generalized until later in the twentieth century. There were many spatial differences in ethnic, social, and occupational status, while there was a low occurrence of functional differences in land use patterns.The Burgess concentric model is consequently partially inverted. For instance, in most pre-industrial European cities, the center was much more important than the periphery, notably regarding social status. It has been demonstrated that pre-industrial cities, notably in Europe, did not follow the concentric circles model. The model was developed for American cities and had limited applicability elsewhere.This concept cannot be applied effectively in a contemporary (from the second half to the 20th century) context where highways have enabled urban development to escape the reconversion process and occur directly in the suburbs. The expansion thus involved the reconversion of existing land uses. The model was developed when American cities were growing very fast in demographic terms, and when motorized transportation was still uncommon, most people used public transit.The model is too simple and limited in a historical and cultural urban context that prevailed until the 1950s.Although the Burgess model is simple and elegant, it has drawn criticisms: In the above figure, zone II (Factory zone) is expanding towards zone IV (Working class zone), creating a transition zone with the reconversion of land use. Before the mass diffusion of the automobile (in the 1930s), most of these settlements were located next to rail stations.Īccording to Burgess, urban growth is a process of expansion and reconversion of land uses, with a tendency for each inner zone to expand towards the outer zone. Zone VI: Mainly high-class and expensive housing in rural, suburbanized settings, with the highest commuting costs.Zone V: Represents higher quality housing linked with longer commuting costs. ![]() This zone has the advantage of being located near the major zones of employment (I and II) and thus represents a low-cost location for the working class. Zone IV: Residential zone dominated by the working class and those who could move away from the previous zone (often second-generation immigrants).It contains the poorest segment of the urban population, notably first-generation immigrants living in low-cost housing. Zone III: This zone is gradually being reconverted to other uses by expanding manufacturing / industrial activities.Further, most transport terminals, namely port sites, and railyards, are located adjacent to the central area. Zone II: Immediately adjacent to the CBD, a zone where many industrial activities locate to take advantage of nearby labor and markets.Zone I: Central Business District (called the “loop” in Chicago), where most of the tertiary employment is located and where the urban transport infrastructure converges, making this zone the most accessible.According to this monocentric model, a large city is divided into six concentric zones: ![]() Thus, accessing better housing is done at the expense of longer commuting times (and costs). The further from the CBD, the better the quality of housing, but the longer the commuting time. The model assumes a relationship between the socio-economic status (mainly income) of households and the distance from the Central Business District (CBD). This representation was built from Burgess’s observations of several American cities, notably Chicago, for which he provided empirical evidence. In 1925, Burgess proposed a descriptive urban land use model that divided cities into concentric circles expanding from downtown to the suburbs.
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