Ch. 13 Key Issue 2 Where Are People Distributed Within Urban Areas?

Ch. 13 Key Issue 2

Where Are People Distributed Within Urban Areas?

Models of Urban Structure

• Not distributed randomly; cluster depending on social characteristics– generalizations

• Each model can be applied to determine why people live where they do in a city – Concentric zone– Sector– Multiple nuclei

Concentric Zone Model (CZM)

• E.W. Burgess• City grows in “rings”

1. CBD- non residential2. Transition- industry/poorer housing3. Working class homes- older homes4. Better residences- newer homes, middle

class5. Commuters zone- suburbs for CBD

workers

CZM

• Invasion and Succession–New immigrants move to the oldest

housing near the center of the city and pushed earlier groups outward (towards suburbs)–Cycle would repeat itself: poor immigrants

to the center, wealthy can then move outwards

Sector Model

• Homer Hoyt• City develops and expands out in sectors

(wedges)• Certain areas are more attractive for

activities– Industry along transportation lines–High income housing along water

Multiple Nuclei Model

• Harris and Ullman• City revolves around more than one

center (node)• Activities either attract to or avoid

certain nodes–University will attract different services

than airport• Incompatible activities avoid clustering–High-class housing and industry

Applying the Models

• Social area analysis–Using census data to map out what

neighborhoods various types of people live• Combine the models to get the most

accurate representation of why people live in certain areas of a city–People prefer to live near others with

similar characteristics

Applying the Models***

• Concentric Zone (2 Families)– Same ethnicity and income– Home owner likely in outer ring – Renter likely in an inner ring

Darker rings outside represent the suburbs (homeowners) in the commuter’s zone

Applying the Models

• Sector Model (2 families)–Both own homes–Higher income family will live in different

sector than lower income family

Dark wedge extending from CBD represents high-income house holds

Applying the Models • Multiple Nuclei– Same racial or ethnic background likely to live near

each other – Growth of automobile and suburbs creates “Urban

realms”- independent regions tied to a “suburban downtown”• Daily activities of many people occur within a

limited section of the larger city– You don’t always go to DT St. Pete for long range

services!

• Cities are made up of small "realms" which are self-sufficient urban areas with independent focal points (nodes).

Minorities occupying nodes- possibly in zones 3 or 4 of the model

Applying the Models• Each model represents certain characteristics

of a city better:– Homeowner vs renter (CZM)– Incomes (Sector)– Ethnicity (MN)

• Combining them puts the entire picture together

• We can now identify in which part of Dallas a 1) high income, 2) Asian-American 3) homeowner most likely lives

1. High Income

2. Non-Hispanic/African-American (Asian-American?)

3. Homeowner

What about a:1) home-owning 2) low-income 3) African American family?

Applying the Models Outside North America

• America urban areas differ from others in the world– European cities– LDCs

Models in European Cities• Wealthy still live in inner rings, not jut

suburbs• Sector model: wealthy extend out in a wedge

from CBD– Live closer to palace (historically); or in restored

older buildings (now)• Low income residents more likely on the

outskirts of city– Historical vertical segregation in cities: wealthy

on bottom floors, poor in basement or attic– Poor moved closer to factories with Industrial

Revolution, away from wealthy

European Cities• Effects of low income displacement– Face longer commutes to cities from suburbs on

public transportation– Inhabitants are displaced residents from the

cities (persons of color, new immigrant from Africa and Asia)

• Europe encourages high rise apartments in suburbs– Prevent suburban sprawl seen in US– Attract tourists to historic inner city

Models in LDCs

• Poor in suburbs, wealth in inner city and extending wedge–Remnant of European colonial policies

Cities Since Independence• Migrating towards cities to find work– Squatter settlements• LDCs cannot handle population growth and

high migration • Few services/bad infrastucture (schools,

roads, sewers)• Griffin and Ford- Latin American City Model– Wealthy inhabit a sector (spine), service

attractive to wealthy will cluster here• Transportation lines• Physical factors: high elevation, views,

beaches