Hgap 6.5

Learning Goals

• Understand city structure models:

  • 48-1 Explain models and theories of internal city structure in North America.

  • 48-2 Analyze models of internal city structure in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Internal Organization of Cities

• Purpose of City Models:

  • Help understand urban organization and neighborhood differences.

  • Provide generalizations about patterns of urban structure across cities.

Burgess Concentric Zone Model (1924)

• Developed by: E.W. Burgess, a sociologist at the University of Chicago.

• Key Concepts:

  • Cities grow in concentric circles (zones/rings).

  • Each zone represents different social classes and land uses.

• Zones:

  1. Central Business District (CBD) - cluster of tall buildings.

  2. Zone of Transition - poorest housing, temporary residents (migrants).

  3. Zone of Independent Workers’ Homes - multifamily units for working-class citizens.

  4. Zone of Middle-Class Residences - single-family homes.

  5. Commuter Zone - larger homes, greater distances from the city center.

• Criticism:

  • Limited applicability to cities outside Chicago and oversimplifies urban growth.

Hoyt Sector Model (1939)

• Developed by: Homer Hoyt, land economist focusing on transportation.

• Key Concepts:

  • City layout shaped by transportation routes.

• Zones:

  1. Central Business District (CBD) - located centrally.

  2. Zone of Light Industry - extends outward along transportation routes.

  3. Low-Income Residential – adjacent to industrial zones, radiating outward.

  4. Middle-Income Residential - filling spaces between zones.

  5. High-Income Residential - located along transportation lines away from industry.

• Growth Shape: Outward growth with well-defined zones.

Harris and Ullman Multiple-Nuclei Model (1945)

• Developers: Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman.

• Key Concepts:

  • Cities have multiple centers (nuclei) with different functions.

  • Growth occurs around various nodes rather than a single CBD.

• Zones:

  1. CBD - core of the city.

  2. Wholesale and Light Manufacturing - near CBD.

  3. Low-Income Residential - scattered near other zones.

  4. Middle-Class Residential - largest zone, mixed with other residential types.

  5. High-Income Residential - located at the edge.

  6. Business districts and industrial suburbs - functioning independently.

• Implication: Shows how urban growth is influenced by multiple sectors and functions.

Galactic City (Peripheral) Model

• Developed in the 1960s:

  • Emphasizes suburbanization and decentralization of urban areas.

• Key Features:

  • CBD as a central hub surrounded by suburban areas linked by ring roads.

  • Employment and shopping centers located in the suburbs rather than the CBD.

Latin American City Model

• Developed by: Ernst Griffin and Larry Ford (1980), updated 1996.

• Key Concepts:

  • Combines concentric zones and radial sectors reflecting cultural blending and globalization.

• Zones:

  1. CBD - market and commercial sector.

  2. Zone of Maturity - middle-class areas.

  3. Zone of in situ Accretion - lower middle-class housing.

  4. Periferico - zone of squatter settlements.

  5. Elite residential areas along commercial spines.

• Social Disparities: Reflects extreme income differences with affluent areas juxtaposed against poverty.

Southeast Asian City Model

• Developed by: T.G. McGee (1967).

• Key Features:

  • Focus on the colonial port rather than a traditional CBD.

• Layout:

  • Port zone - central focus with surrounding commercial areas, elite zones, and mixed land.

  • Squatter areas mixed with growing middle-class suburbs.

Sub-Saharan African City Model

• Diversity Consideration:

  • Cities showcase influences of European colonial powers, with varied internal structures.

• Key Features:

  • Multiple CBDs with distinct functions:

    1. Colonial CBD

    2. Traditional CBD

    3. Market Zone

• Surrounding Areas:

  • Mixed residential neighborhoods, manufacturing zones, and rapid-growing shantytowns on the periphery.

Conclusion on Urban Models

• Relevance: Models help illustrate diversity in urban structures across the developed and developing world.

• Limitations: Rapid urban growth renders some models somewhat obsolete, requiring ongoing adjustments to reflect real-world dynamics.