Transcript Concentric Models - Department of Geography

Urban Models
Chicago in 1920s
Concentric model
It was put forward by Ernest W.
Burgess (sociologist) and his associates
in 1920s.
 It was based on empirical research in a
number of American cities, like Chicago.
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Concepts of the model
Burgess adopted the concepts used by plant
ecologists (ideas of competition, dominance,
invasion and succession)
 within the city, people competes for limited
space (COMPETITION)
 those who are best able to pay (DOMINANCE)
achieve the most desirable locations (INVASION
and SUCCESSION).
 those individuals and functions with the lowest
level of economic competence have the least
choice, occupying the poorest locations.
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How did Chicago school explain
the city using urban ecology?
1. Each zone in space represented a distinct
level in the moral order
Level in
the moral
hierarchy
Distance from the CBD
2.
3.
For any given time, each ethnic group
had its peculiar geographical niche –
its “natural place.”
Change in location of a group
explained by “invasion and
succession.”
Invasion and succession
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This is caused by growth of city economy
& arrival of new migrants to the city.
As the city grew, the CBD would exert
pressure on the zone immediately
surrounding it i.e. the zone of transition
Outward expansion of the CBD would
invade nearby residential areas causing
them to expand outwards.
The process was thought to continue
with each successive neighbourhood
moving further from the CBD.
New immigrants would move into the
cheapest residential areas of the city.
When they became economically
established, they would migrate outwards.
Thus lower residential class moved to
adjacent neighbourhoods and more
affluent residents moved further
outwards.
Bid-rent mechanism
land value decreases with increasing
distance.
 the highest land value is at the city centre
because of keenest competition.
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functional zoning and
residential segregation
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= within different areas of the city,
different single functions formed the
dominant element.
Concentric Model
C.B.D.
Transition Zone
Low class
residential
Middle class
residential
Commuter’s
zone
CBD
at the heart of the city
 forms the commercial, social and
cultural hub.
 the most accessible, at the focus of
urban transport network
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Chicago’s
inner city
“slums”
1920s
Chicago’s
Gold Coast
1930s
Zone in transition
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Surrounds the CBD
an area of ‘blight’, also called the twilight
zone.
An area of mixed land uses – wholesale,
light manufacturing, residential
Provides cheap housing for each new
immigrant wave
the zone often characterized by slums,
immigrant ghettoes, unstable and low social
groups and crime.
poorest residential areas.
Zone of workingmen’s homes
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surrounds the transition zone
has some of the older, often terraced
housing areas of the city
occupied by workers who have left the
transition zone but who still require ready
access to their places of work in the inner
zone. They left transition zone because they
want better living conditions.
2nd generation immigrants form an important
element of the pop. in this zone.
Zone of better residence
(middle-class housing)
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usually single-family dwellings in
semi-detached or detached houses
also some light industry in this zone,
often in industrial estates.
Commuter Zone
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lies beyond the continuous built-up area
of the town, at the fringe of the urban
area.
consists of discontinuous urban
settlement interspersed with
recreational facilities, woodland, pastures.
is the zone of high class residential
properties where people can afford the
high costs of commuting.
Major features of the model
Positive correlation of socio-economic
status of households with distance from
the CBD.
 The more affluent households live at
greater distance from the central city.
 The lower-status groups are to be found
near the city centre and the high-status
groups at its periphery
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Major features of the model
Some districts are culturally distinct and
are occupied by people of similar race,
language and socio-economic status.
 The idealized concentric zones would be
modified by opposing factors like relief,
micro-climate and distribution of
industries.
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Early stage of urbanization
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People tended to reside near the CBD to
minimize the distance travelled so as the
transport cost
suburbanization
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As real incomes have risen and better
transportation has increased mobility,
this allows the separation of home
and workplaces.
Wealthy people moved out of the
inner city which was later Invaded by
poorer ethnic minorities due to rising
immigrants to the city.
To offset high land value in these
near-city locations, they use only
small amount of land by living in high
density apartments which make
maximum use of expensive land.
Occupied by wealthier people who
could afford the higher transport
cost when moving out of the city
centre.
 Wealthy people can occupy larger
amount of cheaper residential land
on the periphery where they live in
detached dwellings and pay the
high commuting costs to city centre.
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Results of suburbanization
social segregation = creating particular
groups or classes which segregate themselves
from other groups.
 poor people living close to the city centre on
high value land, while more wealthy people live
on the periphery where land is generally cheaper.
 As reflected by the quality of housing
 different in life styles + quality of life,
income and social status
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Criticisms
The model considers ground floor
functions only, and little attention is paid
to the height of buildings and vertical
variations of function.
 The model suggests that there are sharp
boundaries between the functional
zones. In reality these abrupt changes do
not occur.
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Criticisms
Concentric zones are not homogenous
but heterogeneous
 therefore, they are not distinctive and
inevitably distorted by major transport
axes and topography features.
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Criticisms
Limited universality: it is limited “to a
particular situation, at a particular time in
a particular country” (Carter, 1976)
 The setting of the model was based on a
particular historical & cultural context.
 It is most relevant to American cities in
the 1920s but is less relevant to other
times and other cities especially in ELDCs.
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Criticisms
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The decline of the CBD
and the emergence of
suburban business
centres
Increasing level of public
intervention
Transport innovation
it has allowed many
centres of employment
to grow outside the CBD
due to increased mobility
 large plots of land are
only available in the
urban fringe, thus lower
class residential areas are
found in the outer zone
where high class
residential areas are.
 It enables low class
residents to move away
from their place of work.
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Criticisms
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Use for understanding residential pattern
better than commercial and industrial
land uses
Contributions
It was the first attempt to analyse the
internal morphology of town
 Burgess model has invaluable contribution
for residential land use of a city. It
suggests a process of urban growth that
might give rise to these.
 It provides a good conceptual
framework for more detailed study of
the complex urban land use.
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