Urban Settlements Study Notes

Urban Settlements

Urban Zones

Urban areas can be divided into zones with specific land uses:

  • Residential zones: Areas with mostly houses and/or tenement blocks.
  • Central Business District (CBD): The main commercial and shopping area, usually in the geographical center of a town or city.
  • Industrial zones: Areas focused on processing raw materials and manufacturing goods.
  • Rural-urban fringe: The edge of a town or city where it meets the rural area or countryside.

Central Business District (CBD)

  • Characteristics:
    • Limited space and high land values.
    • High-rise and high-density buildings.
    • Surrounded by main roads, with many minor roads.
    • Many high-order services and larger buildings (e.g., city hall, railway stations).

Industrial Zones

  • Characteristics:
    • Factories.
    • Located near rivers, major roads, or railways.
    • Connected to the CBD, but now mostly on the outskirts of cities and towns.

Residential Zones

  • Characteristics:
    • Mostly housing and some low-order services (shops, schools, etc.).
    • Different types of housing (working-class, middle-class, high-class).

Rural-Urban Fringe

  • Characteristics:
    • Less built-up areas and more open (green) spaces.
    • Mainly smaller roads, but close to the ring road.
    • Scattered large buildings (shopping malls, business parks, theme parks).

Urban Land Use Models

Burgess Model
  • Includes zones such as the CBD (1), factories/industry (2), working-class housing (3), middle-class housing (4), and commuter zone (5).
Hoyt Model
  • Includes zones such as the CBD (1), factories/industry (2), working-class housing (3), middle-class housing (4), high-class housing (5a) and Commuter zone (5b).
Urban Land Use Models in MEDCs vs. LEDCs
  • Similarities:
    • Both have a CBD.
    • Both have elements of concentric circles and sectors.
  • Differences:
    • In LEDCs, high-cost housing is closer to the center, but in MEDCs it is further away.
    • Poor quality housing is on the edge of the center in LEDCs due to rural-urban migration and squatter settlements.

Task 1, Page 47

Similarities And Differences Between The Burgess And Hoyt Models Of Urban Land Use.
  • Similarities:
    • In both models there is a CBD.
    • In both models there are some areas of middle-class housing further from the CBD than working-class housing.
  • Differences:
    • In the Hoyt model working-class housing does not completely encircle the CBD.
    • In the Hoyt model factories are in sectors not circles (usually along rivers/roads/railways).

Task 2, Page 47

How Well Does Barcelona Fit With The Models Of Urban Land Use

Barcelona fits in well with the Hoyt model, because high quality residential land use tends to be found in areas away from centre and in some sectors away from industry, while low class tends to be close to the centre and the industrial areas, which are located in sectors following roads and railways.

Why High-Cost, Modern Housing is on the Outskirts in MEDCs

  • Urban areas grow from the center outwards.
  • New developments are likely to be some distance from the center.
  • High-cost housing is often large with lots of land, which is more available in outer areas.

Why Traditional Industry is Close to Railway Lines

  • Bulky raw materials and/or finished products were transported by train.
  • Rail transport was the most popular and cost-effective method when these industries were established in MEDCs.

Urban Problems

  • Cities keep growing, leading to fast urban sprawl.
Urban Decay
  • Parts of the city become run-down and undesirable to live in.
    • Slums
    • Buildings in disrepair
    • Vandalized empty buildings
    • Businesses shutting down
Comprehensive Redevelopment
  • Buildings are knocked down and the area is rebuilt.
    • Problems:
      • Communities are displaced.
      • Very expensive.
      • Takes a lot of time.
Urban Regeneration
  • Renovation of existing housing and improvement of the economy.
    • Rewiring houses + fitting for central heating.
    • Renovating & repainting buildings.
    • New social facilities (clubs, clinics).
    • Loans to new businesses

Exam-Style Questions

Analyzing Squatter Settlements in Mumbai, India

i. Compare the location of the squatter settlements X and Y.

  • Ideas:
    • X is higher; is on steeper land; Y is closer to mosque
    • Y is lower; is on flatter land; is closer to water

ii. Describe the problems faced by people living in squatter settlements, like those shown in Fig. 2.2.

  • Ideas:
    • Possible flooding from the river (in Y);
    • Difficult access due to steep slopes (for X);
    • Poor quality building materials; no electricity; no (clean) water supplies; Overcrowding; high crime levels; poor sanitation; etc.
Reducing Negative Impacts of Urbanization
  • For a named urban area you have studied, describe what has been done to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization.
  • Case studies:
    • Atlanta;
    • Cairo;
    • Rome.