6.5 The Internal Structure of Cities

City Structure Basic

  • People and activities are not randomly distributed

  • Neighborhood patterns (income, ethnicity, age): results of territoriality, group identity, purpose/function of residents

    *Functional structure=cities are organized a certain way to perform specific functions/provide certain services

Historical Urban Models (US)

  1. Concentric zone model (Burgess)

  2. Sector model (Hoyt)

  3. Multiple-nuclei model (Harris/Ullman)

    • All three based on Chicago (1920’s-1940’s)

*Important to consider time period (models created before post-WW2 suburbanization really begins)

  • focus on patterns of settlement, economic activity (often lnked to class/status)

  • Criticisms: too simple/based on old data

CBD’s: The focal point of each model

  • Intensive land use/development

  • Historically important (business/cultural centers)

  • Tallest (most visual) buildings

  • Primarily nonresidential in US; often higher income/status areas elsewhere

*CBD’s=often home to the Peak land value intersection (most valuable real estate in the area; likely to find a major building/significant activity)

**Land is more expensive in CBD’s (typically) because it is scarace (less of it exists-more competition for finite space)

1) Concentric Zone Model (Burgess)

  • CBD surrounded by rings of varios income levels/activities:

    1. CBD (primarily nonresidential)

    2. Transition zone (industry, low-incomehousing/apartments-mixed use)

    3. Independent workers’ homes (lower middle-class)

    4. Zone of “better residences” (middle class)

    5. Commuters’ zone (suburbn/high-class residential)

More Burgess concentric Model

  • As one moves towards CBD, amount of land becomes more scarce, so:

  • Rents in/near CBD often high (except for poorly maintained/older housing in 2nd zone)

    • Think of areas near USC (a few miles away from downtown LA)

  • Accessibility typically imrpoves closer to CBD (closer to major downtown activities; more roads/freeways/publci transport options

2) Sector Model (Hoyt)

  • Wedges/slices emanating from CBD

  • Organized along transportaition lines (typically dividers betweens ectors-railroad lines, freeways, major roads, etc.)

  • Increasing wealth/social status further away from CBD

  • Social classes tend to stick to sectors; continual outward expansion

More Sector

  • Low-income areas: commonly “bound-in” by railroad lines

    *Industrial activity: likely to be in sector(s) bordering lower-income areas (near potential workers and the dominant method of transportation)

  • Commercial activity (shops): typically clustered along major roads/avenues: visibility/accessibility

  • Middle/higher classes: likely to be in wedge(s) closer to commercial activity and futherst from lowwer/indsutrial (don’t woant to lvie near those activities-NIMBY)

  • Criticisms: primarily based on railroads, physical features (rivers, ec.) may not “allow” for sectors to be as clealry defined as model suggests

3) Multiple-Nuclei Model (Harris/Ullman)

  • CBD, but additional nodes of activity

  • Different groups/activities cluster around different nodes-often related to transportation changes and modern evelopments (cars, freeways, new roads, etc.)

  • Increased specialization of areas

  • Separately expanding clusters (areas grow at different rates)

  • newer faster growing cities

Urban Realms Model (Vance)

*Based on multiplenuclei model (atetempt to modernize and improve upon it)

1) Parts within alrge urban areas are largely independent “realsm” of space and mostly self-sufficient

2) CBD continues losing importance/dominance (replaced by suburban shopping areas/malls for retail; suburban business parks for quarternary/quinary jobs)

*Individual realms

Non-US Ubranization/Models

  1. Western Europe:

    More compact than US (closer buildings, narrow streets)

    Originaly desgined for pedestrians (some modern adjustments for light rail, cars)

  • Wealthiest/higher social class zones closest to CBD surburbs often poorer-recent migrants)

*Industrial activity on the outskirts

2) Latin America(Ford-Griffin)

  • CBD=mix of older market area, modern high-rises

  • commercial spine

    (Often a wide boulevard emanating from CBD surroundd by high-income residential zone)

  • Concentric zones in other areas (wealthier areas closer to center; slums on outskirts)

  • More detail on Latin American city model

SE Asian City Structure

  • Heavily influenced by colonialism

  • Old colonial port area

  • Mix of Western, non-western commercial zones (history of segregation between colonizers/natives)

  • Similar non-US patttern of wealthier residents closer to CBD

    *Urban agriculture areas on outskirts

4) Suburban African City Structure

  • Colonial influence (CBD has distrinct colonial, traditional, market areas)

  • Ethnic, economic areas (rings/sevtors) emanating from center

  • Demanding

5) South Asian City Model

  • Spatial segregation of colonizers/natives (historically)

  • Mixed use of cbd

  • mix of us

    • some wealthy areas far from center

6) eastern europe/former ussr

  • ideological concerns (glorification of state, need for close watch on pop/control)

  • big apartment block buildings

  • compact—high density

  • sharp, immediate break between urban/rural areas