Introduction to Contemporary

Geography

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Amy D'Angelo SUNY Oswego

Lectures

Chapter 13Urban Patterns

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Land Uses in CBD of Wilkes-Barre, PA

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Concentric Zone Model

• According to the concentric zone model, created in 1923 by sociologist E. W. Burgess, a city grows outward from a central area in a series of five concentric rings, like the growth rings of a tree.

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Concentric Zone Model

• Innermost zone – CBD• Second ring – zone in transition• Third ring – zone of working-class homes• Fourth zone – middle-class families• Commuter’s zone

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Sector Model

• According to the sector model, developed in 1939 by land economist Homer Hoyt, the city develops in a series of sectors.

• As a city grows, activities expand outward in a wedge, or sector, from the center.

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Sector Model

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Multiple Nuclei Model

• According to the multiple nuclei model, a city is a complex structure that includes more than one center around which activities revolve.

• Examples of these nodes include a port, neighborhood business center, university, airport, and park.

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Multiple Nuclei Model

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Sectors in Dallas

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Multiple Nuclei in Dallas

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Sector Model in European Cities

• As in the United States, wealthier people in European cities cluster along a sector extending out from the CBD.

• In Paris, high-income residents moved from the royal palace at the Louvre west towards another royal palace at Versailles.

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Cities Since Independence

• Following independence, Latin American cities have grown in accordance with the sector and concentric zone models.

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Definitions of St. Louis

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Metropolitan Statistical Area

• The U.S. Bureau of the Census has created a method of measuring the functional area of a city, known as the metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

• An MSA includes the following:1. An urbanized area of at least 50,000

inhabitants.2. The county within which the city is located.3. Adjacent counties with a high population

density and a large percentage of residents working in the central city’s county.

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Micropolitan Statistical Areas

• The census has also designated smaller urban areas as micropolitan statistical areas (μSAs).

• These include an urbanized area of between 10,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, the county in which it is found, and adjacent counties tied to the city.

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Overlapping Metropolitan Areas in Europe

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Annexation in Chicago

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13.9 Suburban Sprawl

• In 1950, only 20 percent of Americans lived in suburbs.

• After more than a half-century of rapid suburban growth, 50 percent of Americans now live in suburbs.

• US suburbs are characterized by sprawl, which is the progressive spread of development over the landscape.

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Peripheral Model of Urban Areas

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13.10 Urban Transportation

• People do not travel aimlessly; their trips have a precise point of origin, destination, and purpose.

• Work related trips – 1/2

• Shopping, social, and personal business – 1/4

• Sprawl makes people more dependent on motor vehicles for access to work, shopping, and social activities.

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Development of Urban Transportation

• Historically, people lived in crowded cities because they had to be within walking distance of shops and places of employment.

• Cities then built street railways (called trolleys, streetcars, or trams) and underground railways (subways) to accommodate commuters.

• These lines restricted suburban development to narrow ribbons within walking distance of the stations.

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Public Transportation