3.

3 The Changing
Structure of Urban
Settlements

Functional Zonation in urban

area
Function= what something is for
Zonation= the area it is found in
SoFunctional Zonation= where
set areas in an urban settlement
have a set function e.g. Offices
(function) are found in the centre of a
city (zone)

Settlement models look for patterns and similarities

between cities in order to explain the growth,
structure and functioning of cities. There are several
models of where different functions are found in a
city. Some are:
1)Burgess- Concentric Zone Model
2) Hoyt- Sector Model
3) Harris and Ullmann- Multiple Nuclei Model
4) Alonsos theory of Bid-rent
5) Griffin and Fords- Models of cities in LEDCs
NOTE:
The British urban land use model (pg 170) and the Model of
North American Cities by David Clark (pg 171) are adaptations
of these models

1. Concentric Zone Model

Assumptions:

A uniform land surface flat, with no rivers, lakes

mountains, swamps etc.
Free competition for space that the morphology of the
city is formed by market forces.
Single-centered city (Central-Business district or CBD)
assumes one center and this is the point most people
have access to.
Development takes place from the core (CBD) outward
new poor migrants will move into the zone of transition
surrounding the CBD and as they become richer they will
move to the outer zones to where there is better housing.
There is a relationship between socio-economic status of
households and distance from CBD further away from
CBD better quality of housing and higher the cost of
commuting into CBD

2.

2. Sector Model
Business activity is still the central business
district (CBD) as this is the point that most
people have access to Industry was noted to follow particular transport
routes
High class residential often develops where
there are distinct physical or social attractions
(e.g. river)
Low class residential was therefore confined to
unfavourable locations (ugly, less transport
links)

3.

3. The Multiple-Nuclei Model

CBD still exists but not always at centre of
settlement
Low class residential housing tends to be
in areas of cheaper land around industry
(heavy and light)
High class residential and medium class
residential can afford to avoid living next
to industrial areas so these are normally
on a different side of the city to industry
There are areas of development outside of
the main settlement around new nuclei

5.

5. Griffin & Fords Model of LEDC

Cities
CBD in centre as normal
Industry starts in centre and develops out around
transport and water routes
Zone of maturity is where there is a mixture of old
and newer housing occupied by middle classes
High class (elite) residential often develops in a spine
out from the city centre
Zone of in situ accretion is a wide range of housing
but in the process of improvement e.g. government
improvement projects
Zone of squatter settlements is often on the most
undesirable land at the periphery of a city

Urban Density Gradients

Gradient Analysis the study of population
density gradients (how the population
density changes throughout the city)
Residential population density varies
within different functional zones.
Residential population density changes
with distance from center density
decreases with distance from center.

ask: Use the text on page 172 and 173, and Fig 3.38 :
Define the term urban density gradients
Describe how and why urban density gradients differ between MEDCs & LEDCs

Within acity, there are activities which

occur in all cities across the world:

Where are these activities located

and why?
Their location in an urban area is
dictated by factors
Market forces (supply and demand for
service)
Government planning (policies)