Glossary
Central Business District (CBD)
The commercial and often geographic heart of a city, characterized by high land values, intense commercial activity, and a concentration of businesses and services.
Example:
New York City's Manhattan is a prime example of a bustling Central Business District, with skyscrapers housing corporate offices and major retail outlets.
City Models
Simplified frameworks or lenses used to understand the spatial organization, growth patterns, and distribution of social and economic groups within urban areas.
Example:
Geographers use City Models to analyze why a city like Los Angeles has multiple centers of activity rather than a single downtown core.
Commuter Zone
The outermost ring of the Concentric Zone Model, characterized by suburban residential communities where residents commute to the CBD or other urban areas for work.
Example:
Many people living in exurban towns outside major metropolitan areas are part of the Commuter Zone, traveling long distances daily for their jobs.
Concentric Zone Model
An urban model, also known as the Burgess Model, proposing that cities grow outward from a central business district in a series of five concentric rings or zones.
Example:
In the early 20th century, Chicago's growth, with its distinct rings of industry, slums, and residential areas, closely resembled the Concentric Zone Model.
Decentralization
The process of population and economic activity moving away from the central city to suburban or peripheral areas, leading to the growth of multiple centers.
Example:
The rise of remote work and e-commerce has contributed to the Decentralization of retail and office spaces, as businesses no longer need to be solely in the CBD.
Edge Cities
Large nodes of office and retail activities that have developed on the outskirts of metropolitan areas, often at major highway intersections, functioning as self-sufficient urban centers.
Example:
Tysons Corner, Virginia, outside Washington D.C., is a classic Edge City, with its own high-rise offices, shopping malls, and residential complexes, reducing the need to commute downtown.
High-Income Residential
Desirable residential areas in the Hoyt Sector Model, typically located in sectors away from industrial zones and often along attractive natural features or major thoroughfares.
Example:
In many cities, the most expensive homes are found in a distinct High-Income Residential sector, often on hillsides or near waterfronts, away from noise and pollution.
Hoyt Sector Model
An urban model proposing that cities develop in sectors or wedges radiating outward from the CBD, often influenced by transportation routes and the location of high-income residential areas.
Example:
A city with a major river or railway line might see its industrial areas and associated low-income housing extend in a distinct wedge, illustrating the Hoyt Sector Model.
Industrial Sector
A wedge-shaped area in the Hoyt Sector Model, typically located along transportation corridors like rivers or railways, housing factories and warehouses.
Example:
Along the Mississippi River in St. Louis, a prominent Industrial Sector developed, utilizing the river for transport of goods and raw materials.
Low-Income Residential
Residential areas in the Hoyt Sector Model often found adjacent to industrial sectors, providing housing for workers in those industries.
Example:
Historically, neighborhoods of small, affordable homes were built near textile mills, forming a Low-Income Residential sector for the factory workers.
Middle-Class Homes
A residential zone in the Concentric Zone Model, further out from the city center, featuring more spacious and newer housing for white-collar workers and families.
Example:
Suburban developments with detached houses and lawns often represent the Middle-Class Homes zone, offering more space than inner-city residences.
Multiple Nuclei
The various distinct centers of activity within a city, such as industrial parks, universities, shopping malls, or specialized business districts, that characterize the Multiple Nuclei Model.
Example:
Instead of one downtown, a city might have several Multiple Nuclei, like a tech hub in one area and a major university campus in another, each attracting different types of development.
Multiple Nuclei Model
An urban model suggesting that cities do not grow around a single center but rather develop around several distinct nodes or nuclei, each with its own specialized function.
Example:
A modern metropolitan area like Dallas, with its separate financial district, medical center, and entertainment complex, exemplifies the Multiple Nuclei Model.
Peripheral Model
An urban model focusing on the growth of suburban areas and the development of 'edge cities' around the periphery of a metropolitan area, often along major transportation routes.
Example:
The growth of large, self-contained commercial and residential hubs along beltways outside major cities perfectly illustrates the Peripheral Model.
Specialized Districts
Areas within a city that develop around a particular function or industry, forming distinct nodes in the Multiple Nuclei Model.
Example:
Silicon Valley is a prime example of a Specialized District focused on technology and innovation, attracting related businesses and residents.
Transition Zone
The area immediately surrounding the CBD in the Concentric Zone Model, characterized by a mix of older industrial buildings, deteriorating housing, and social issues, often undergoing redevelopment.
Example:
Many older industrial cities have a Transition Zone where former factories are being converted into trendy loft apartments, reflecting urban renewal efforts.
Working-Class Homes
A zone in the Concentric Zone Model consisting of modest, older housing typically occupied by blue-collar workers and their families, located beyond the transition zone.
Example:
The row houses built near the steel mills in Pittsburgh historically served as Working-Class Homes for the factory employees.