Urban Land Use Models
Urban models such as the concentric zone model show how land use changes from the busy centre to the outskirts.
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Urban models such as the concentric zone model show how land use changes from the busy centre to the outskirts.
- CBD is the commercial centre
- Land value is highest in the centre
- Suburbs lie further out
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Urban Land Use Models?
Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Urban Land Use Models. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.
Check that you can explain Urban Land Use Models in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Urban Land Use Models helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
Urban Land Use Models in detail
Urban land use models explain how cities are arranged. The Burgess concentric zone model has rings spreading out from the central business district (CBD): factories and low-quality housing near the centre, then better housing further out, and commuter suburbs at the edge.
The Hoyt sector model suggests that land use spreads in wedges along transport routes. Land values are highest in the CBD and fall with distance. Real cities, in both rich and poor countries, are more complex than the models, but these simplified models help describe patterns such as inner-city decline and suburban growth.
How the interactive helps you understand Urban Land Use Models
Click a step, or use the Previous and Next buttons, to move through the sequence one stage at a time. Auto-play moves on for you.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Urban Land Use Models.
Real-life uses and examples
- Interpret a graph or map that shows Urban Land Use Models and say what it suggests.
- Describe a real place where Urban Land Use Models can be seen, using a map or photograph.
- Explain how Urban Land Use Models affects people, jobs and land use in a region.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Urban Land Use Models.
- Writing general statements without a named place or example.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Urban Land Use Models
What is Urban Land Use Models?
Urban models such as the concentric zone model show how land use changes from the busy centre to the outskirts.
What are the most important points about Urban Land Use Models?
The main points are: CBD is the commercial centre; Land value is highest in the centre; Suburbs lie further out.
Why is Urban Land Use Models useful?
Understanding Urban Land Use Models helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
How can I practise Urban Land Use Models?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Urban Land Use Models?
Related topics in Geography include Sustainable Cities, Reducing the Development Gap, Tourism.