SES 874

ISSUES IN URBAN DESIGN PLANNING AND

MANAGEMENT
PRESENTER: Geofrey Yator

QUESTION:
Spatial and Local Theories of urban
Development

Introduction
Spatial is relating to space
Urbanization is the movement of population from rural to

urban areas
A theory is an organized system of accepted knowledge
that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a
specific set of phenomena.
Urbanization is a relatively new global issue
In 1950 only 30% of the worlds population was urbanized
and 50% in 2009 lived in urban centres
The big question is how do towns come about to be?

Theories explaining the emergence of

towns
Central place theory
Examples. Polders of the Netherlands, the Fens of
East Anglia in the UK
Developed by the German geographer Walter
Christaller in 1933
It explains the reasons behind the distribution
patterns, size, and number of cities and towns.
Tested in Southern Germany and came to the
conclusion that people gather together in cities to
share goods and ideas and that they

Central place theory

Assumptions
humans will always purchase goods from the
closest place
unbounded isotropic (all flat), homogeneous,
limitless surface
evenly distributed population
all settlements are equidistant and exist in a
triangular lattice pattern
evenly distributed resources

Central place theory

Public choice theory

Advanced by Paul Peterson in his 1981 book, City

Limits
States that urban politicians and governing
regimes are subordinate to the overall economic
principles that force cities to compete to capture
new investment and capital.
The competitive nature of cities encourages the
business elite and politicians to favour new
development

Theories explaining how towns

are arranged
Grid model/Hippodamian plan
Examples; The city of Priene
Proposed by Hippodamus of Miletus who is

considered the father of rational city planning

The center of the city contains the agora (Market
place), theaters, and temples. Private rooms
surround the citys public arenas.
The plan can be laid out uniformly over any kind of
terrain since its based on angles and measurements.

Grid model/Hippodamian plan

Hippodamian plan /Grid Model used in Priene city

Concentric Zone model

Also known as The Burgess Model, The Bull's Eye
Model
Developed in the 1920's by the urban sociologist
Ernest Burgess.
The model portrays how cities social groups are
spatially arranged in a series of rings.
The size of the rings may vary, but the order
always remains the same.

Concentric Zone model

Concentric Zone model

1. Central Business District (CBD) - This area of

the city is a non-residential area and its where

businesses are. This area s called downtown ,a lot
of sky scrapers houses government institutions,
businesses, stadiums, and restaurants
2. Zone of Transition- the zone of transition
contains industry and has poorer-quality housing
available.Created by subdividing larger houses
into apartments

Concentric Zone model

3. Zone of the working class- This area contains
modest older houses occupied by stable, working
class families. A large percentage of the people in
this area rent.
4. Zone of better residence- This zone contains
newer and more spacious houses. Mostly families
in the middle-class live in this zone.
5.Commuters Zone/Suburbs- This area is located
beyond the build-up area of the city. Mostly upper
class residents live in this area.
..\..\Desktop\Models\Burgess circle model.htm

Concentric Zone model

Shortcomings
It assumes an isotropic plain
land may restrict growth of certain sectors
The model does not fit polycentric cities
It describes the peculiar American
geography, where the inner city is poor
while suburbs are wealthy; the converse is
the norm elsewhere.

Sector model.
Chicago and Newcastle upon Tyne/Newcastle
Developed in 1939 by land economist Homer
Hoyt
It is a model of the internal structure of cities.
Social groups are arranged around a series of
sectors, or wedges radiating out from the central
business district (CBD) and centred on major
transportation lines
low-income households to be near railroad lines,
and commercial establishments to be along
business thoroughfares

Modeling Cities: Hoyt

Stresses the importance of transportation corridors. Sees

growth of various urban activities as expanding along roads,
rivers, or train routes.

Sector model.
Shortcomings
Applies well to some towns only
Low cost housing is near industry and

transportation proving Hoyts model

Theory based on 20th century and does not take
into account cars which make commerce easier
With cars, people can live anywhere and further
from the city

Multiple Nuclei method

The Multiple Nuclei Model is an ecological model

created by Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman in the

1945
City grows from several independent points rather than
from one central business district.
As these expand, they merge to form a single urban
area.
Ports, universities, airports and parks also act as nodes
Based on the idea that people have greater movement
due to increased car ownership.

Multiple nuclei model

The model has four geographic principles
Certain activities require highly specialised facilities
Accessible transportation for a factory
Large areas of open land for a housing tract

Certain activities cluster because they profit from

mutual association
Certain activities repel each other and will not be found
in the same area
Certain activities could not make a profit if they paid
the high rent of the most desirable locations

Modeling Cities:
Harris-Ullman

Stresses the importance of multiple nodes of activity, not a

single CBD. Ports, airports, universities attract certain uses
while repelling others.

Multiple nuclei model

Assumptions
Land is Flat
Even Distribution of
Resources
Even Distribution of
people in Residential
areas
Even Transportation
Costs

Criticisms
Each zone displays a
significant degree of internal
heterogeneity
and not homogeneity
No consideration of influence
of physical relief and
government policy.
Not applicable to oriental
cities with different cultural,
economic and political
backgrounds

Urban Realms Model

Francisco Bay area
Developed by James E. Vance Jr. in the 1960s
Each realm is a separate economic, social and
political entity that is linked together to form a
larger metro framework
suburbs are within the sphere of influence of the
central city and its metropolitan CBD
Now urban realms have become, so large they even
have exurbs, not just suburbs

Urban realm depends on

Overall size of the
metropolitan region
Amount of economic
activity in each urban
realm
Topography and major
land features
Internal accessibility of
each realm

Core frame model

The Core frame model is a model showing

the urban structure of the Central Business

District of a town or city.
The model includes an inner core where land
is expensive and used intensively
The outer core and frame have lower land
values and are less intensively developed. T
various land uses are linked to the bid rent
theory

Core frame model

Bid rent theory

geographical economic theory that refers to how

the price and demand for real estate change as the

distance from the central business district (CBD)
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.
The amount they are willing to pay is called "bid
rent".

Bid rent theory

Irregular pattern model

Arrangement of Public space that

characterizes the stage of "Transition from

village to city" especially in Third World.
This urban model is due to lack of planning
or construction and illegal without a
specific order.
Includes blocks with no fixed order, or
permanent and temporary structures. S
structures are not related to an urban centres
near the place

Howard gardens
Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden city
Developed by Sir Ebenezer Howard (1898)
Inspired by the idea of ideal/Utopian cities
Inspired works on Model villages by Robert Owen
and Model industrial towns by Buckingham.
Comprised of Town, Country and Town-country
interactions

Howard gardens

THE END