Urban Patterns Review Notes

US Urban Models

• Burgess Concentric Zone Model:

  • Cities grow outward in concentric rings.

  • Zone 2: Industry, poor housing.

  • Zone 3: Working-class housing.

  • Zone 4: Middle-class housing.

  • Zone 5: Beyond built-up area.

• Hoyt Sector Model:

  • Cities develop in sectors (wedges).

  • Activities expand outward.

• Multiple Nuclei Model:

  • City has multiple centers.

  • Activities cluster around nodes or avoid them.

SE Asian City Model (McGee Model)

• No clear CBD; components are scattered.

• Includes old colonial port, western commercial zone, hybrid sectors, new industrial parks.

Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford Model)

• CBD with a commercial spine and elite housing.

• Concentric zones of decreasing housing quality.

Sub-Saharan African City Model (De Blij Model)

• Impact of colonialism.

• Multiple CBDs: colonial, traditional, and market.

Suburbanization

• Movement from cities to suburbs.

• Increased post-WWII due to transportation.

• Historical context: "White flight" and restrictive covenants.

Urban Revival

• Gentrification: Middle class moves into and renovates inner-city areas.

• New Urbanism: Promotes walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, green spaces, and alternative transportation.

Rank Size Rule vs. Primate City

• Rank Size Rule: The nth largest city is 1/n the size of the largest city.

  • Example: Largest city = 100,000; 2nd largest = 50,000.

• Primate City: Largest city is more than double the size of the second largest.

  • Example: Largest city = 100,000; 2nd largest = 10,000.

Central Place Theory

• Location is key to profitability.

• Central place: Market center for goods/services.

• Market area: Surrounding area served by the central place.

• People prefer the nearest service location.

Gravity Model

• Optimal service location is related directly to population size and inversely to distance.

• Minimize distance for consumers.

Urban Hierarchy

• Ranking of places by available services.

• Larger cities offer more services due to larger customer base.

• Burgess Concentric Zone Model:

  • Example: Chicago in the early 20th century.

• Hoyt Sector Model:

  • Example: Many cities where industrial or residential sectors expand along transportation routes (e.g., railways).

• Multiple Nuclei Model:

  • Example: Los Angeles, with its various downtown areas (Hollywood, Downtown LA, etc.).

• SE Asian City Model (McGee Model):

  • Example: Jakarta, Indonesia, with its mix of colonial areas, commercial zones, and industrial parks.

• Latin American City Model (Griffin-Ford Model):

  • Example: Mexico City with its prominent CBD, commercial spine, and concentric zones of varying housing quality.

• Sub-Saharan African City Model (De Blij Model):

  • Example: Nairobi, Kenya, showcasing colonial, traditional, and market CBDs.

• Rank Size Rule:

  • Example: The distribution of city sizes in the United States approximates the rank-size rule.

• Primate City:

  • Example: Seoul