CONCENTRIC ZONE MODEL

The concentric zone model, also known as the Burgess model or the CCD model, is one of the
earliest theoretical models to explain urban social structures. It was created by sociologist Ernest Burgess
in 1925. Based on human ecology theory done by Burgess and applied on Chicago, it was the first to give
the explanation of distribution of social groups within urban areas. This concentric ring model depicts
urban land usage in concentric rings: the Central Business District (or CBD) was in the middle of the
model, and the city expanded in rings with different land uses. It is effectively an urban version of Von
Thnen's regional land use model developed a century earlier. It influenced the later development of
Homer Hoyt's sector model (1939) and Harris and Ullman's multiple nuclei model (1945).

The zones identified are:

1. The center with the central business district,

2. The transition zone of mixed residential and commercial uses or the zone of transition,
3. Working class residential homes (inner suburbs), in later decades called inner city or zone of
independent working men's home,
4. Better quality middle-class homes (outer suburbs) or zone of better housing,
5. Commuter zone.

The model is more detailed than the traditional down-mid-uptown divide by which downtown is the
CBD, uptown the affluent residential outer ring, and midtown in between.

Von Thnens Land Use Theory

Johann Heinrich von Thnens (1783-1850) model of agricultural land from the first half of the
19th century is considered the first ever location model. Von Thnen observed the distribution of various
agricultural activities in space and, using the general assumptions of perfect competition, formulated the
model of crops distribution (Ivanika, 1987). Von Thnen was convinced that the agricultural market
(moving always towards only one center) has a limited reach, dependent on the distance from the
source - i.e. transportation costs. He observed that particular activities were focused in certain zones
around the center - ideally, this would then lead to a system of concentric rings with every ring
specializing in different agricultural activities (see fig) based on transportation costs, weight and
perishability.

Sector Theory
The sector model, also known as the Hoyt model, is a model of urban land use proposed in 1932
by economist Homer Hoyt.[1] It is a modification of the concentric zone model of city development. The
benefits of the application of this model include the fact it allows for an outward progression of growth.
As with all simple models of such complex phenomena, its validity is limited.[2]

This model applies to numerous British cities. For example, if it is turned 90 degrees counter-clockwise it
fits the city of Mnchengladbach reasonably accurately. This may be because of the age of the cities
when transportation was a key limitation, as a general rule older cities follow the Hoyt model and more
recent cities follow the Burgess (concentric zone) model.

Multiple Nuclei Model

 The model describes the layout of a city, based on San Francisco. It says that even though a city may
have begun with a central business district, or CBD, other smaller CBDs develop on the outskirts of the
city near the more valuable housing areas to allow shorter commutes from the outskirts of the city. This
creates nodes or nuclei in other parts of the city besides the CBD thus the name multiple nuclei model.
Their aim was to produce a more realistic, if more complicated, model. Their main goals in this were to:

1. Move away from the concentric zone model

2. To better reflect the complex nature of urban areas, especially those of larger size

The theory was formed based on the idea that people have greater movement due to increased car
ownership. This increase of movement allows for the specialization of regional centers (e.g. heavy
industry, business parks, retail areas). The model is suitable for the large, expanding cities. The number
of nuclei around which the city expands depends upon situational as well as historical factors.

Bid Rent Theory

The bid rent theory is a geographical economic theory that refers to how the price and demand
for real estate change as the distance from the central business district (CBD) increases. It states that
different land users will compete with one another for land close to the city centre. This is based upon
the idea that retail establishments wish to maximize their profitability, so they are much more willing to
pay more for land close to the CBD and less for land further away from this area. This theory is based
upon the reasoning that the more accessible an area (i.e., the greater the concentration of customers),
the more profitable.

Land users all compete for the most accessible land within the CBD. The amount they are willing to pay is
called "bid rent". The result is a pattern of concentric rings of land use, creating the concentric zone
model.

It could be assumed that, according to this theory, the poorest houses and buildings would be on the
very outskirts of the city, as this is the only location that they can afford to occupy. In modern times,
however, this is rarely the case, as many people prefer to trade off the accessibility of being close to the
CBD and move to the edges of a settlement, where it is possible to buy more land for the same amount
of money (as the bid rent theory states). Likewise, lower-income housing trades off greater living space
for increased accessibility to employment. For this reason, low-income housing in many North American
cities, for example, is often found in the inner city, and high-income housing is at the edges of the
settlement.