city models

aphid

Concentric Zone Model

A model of a city’s internal organization organized in five concentric rings that represent different residential zones radiating outward from a central business district (Burgess; 1920s).

Sector Model

A model of a city’s internal organization emphasizing transportation and communication as the main drivers of the city’s layout (Hoyt; 1930s).

Multiple-Nuclei Model

A model showing residential districts organized around multiple nodes (nuclei) instead of a single central business district (Harris & Ullman; 1940s).

Galactic City Model / Peripheral Model

A model in which the central business district remains central, but shopping areas, office parks, and industrial districts are spread throughout surrounding suburbs and linked by metropolitan expressways (Harris; 1960s).

Latin American City Model

A model of the internal structure of a Latin American city that combines concentric zones and radial sectors, highlighting significant disparities between privileged areas and those of extreme poverty (Griffin-Ford).

Gentrification

The displacement of lower-income residents by higher-income residents as an area or neighborhood undergoes improvements.

Southeast Asian City Model

A model that highlights a port city (previously colonial) with surrounding commercial districts, lacking a formal central business district, but includes a market gardening zone and new industrial areas further from the port (McGee).

Sub-Saharan African City Model

A model that features three distinct central business districts corresponding to historical developments: a traditional CBD, a market zone, and a colonial CBD, with ethnic neighborhoods and shantytowns surrounding them (de Blij).