The model suggests cities expand outward in rings from the CBD.
Zone 1 (CBD): Business activity, most accessible point.
Limitations: Does not consider physical landscape; based on Chicago (edge of Great Lakes); ignores commuter towns; urban regeneration changed inner city; no council housing; decentralisation and fringe developments not included.
Bid rent shows how price and demand for land change as distance from the CBD increases.
Different land users compete for land close to the city centre. Shops maximise profitability by paying more for central land.
The more accessible an area, the more profitable it is. The amount people are willing to pay is called bid rent.
Limitations: Very simple (3 broad zones); assumes straight-line cost curves; too graphical; ignores transport networks, planning, physical environment.
Alonso identified that low-income groups are sometimes found in the centre—high-density cramped residential buildings with high rents.
Affordability is a major factor in sorting land uses and people. Activities and groups differ in what they can afford.
Urban land value tends to decline outwards from the core, but other factors apply: geography (flood plains, rivers, waterfronts), historical factors, economic factors, social factors.
Urban land managers—planners, governments, employers, developers, service providers—distribute and control resources.
CBD in centre as normal. Industry starts in centre and develops out around transport and water routes.
Zone of maturity (lower to middle income): mixture of old and newer housing occupied by middle classes.
Colonial spine: high-class (elite) residential often develops in a spine out from the city centre.
Around the colonial spine: wide range of housing in process of improvement (government projects).
Zone of squatter settlements on most undesirable land at periphery. Based on Griffin and Ford's LDE model of Latin American land use.
| Model | Key Feature | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Burgess | Concentric rings; CBD central | Ignores physical landscape, commuter towns |
| Hoyt | Sectors along transport corridors | No out-of-town developments |
| Multi-nuclei | Multiple centres, not single CBD | Still simplified |
| Bid rent | Land value decreases with distance | Ignores transport, planning |
Remember: Each model has limitations. Do not try to fit a city into one model—it may fit two or three (e.g. Tokyo).
Always state model limitations when describing urban structure.
Edge cities consequence: Loss of rural habitats + social segregation (not gentrification as cause).
Common mistake: Confusing causes of edge cities (decentralisation) with consequences (habitat loss, segregation).
