Lecture-5 Human Settlements Development

URP 111

Multiple –Nuclei Model_______________________________________

The location and composition of every city is so much complex that this complexity is not
explained by concentric zone theory and Sector theory. In 1946, two geographers C.D Harris
and E.L Ullman modified the above two theory and originated the third theory which is
known as multiple-nuclei theory.

Main theme
According to the conception of concentric zone theory and Sector theory, a city has only one
nucleus but in reality more than one nucleus is located in many cities of the world. So Harris
and Ullman realized that although at first, a city is originated by one nucleus but in later,
many nucleuses are built up for various necessary. Around these nucleuses, urban land use is
different.

The theory suggests that cities have an essentially cellular structure, in which distinctive
types of land use have developed around certain growing points, or “nuclei”, within the urban
area. The grouping of specialist land uses around these nuclei has been encouraged by four
factors, which influence the distribution of human activities within a city in various ways.

▪ Certain activities require specialized facilities, either those found in the natural
endowment of their sites, or provided later by human endeavour. The location of
Central Business District at the point of maximum accessibility gives an illustration of
this factor.
▪ Certain activities group together because they profit from cohesion, an example being
the clustering of the clothing industry in the inner districts of some large cities.
▪ Other activities are detrimental to one another and are not normally found in close
juxtaposition: for example, heavy industry and high-class residential areas are rarely
near-neighbours.
▪ Finally, certain activities are unable to afford the rents of the most desirable sites: the
location of areas of cheaper housing or bulk storage facilities provides examples of
this factor in operation.
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Harris and Ullman classified urban land use nine various activities area. These are

1. Central Business District (CBD)

2. Wholesale and Manufacturing
3. Low class residential area
4. Middle class residential area
5. High class residential area
6. Heavy manufacturing area
7. Marginal commercial area
8. Sub-urban residence
9. Sub-urban industry

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URP 111

Central Business District (CBD)

This is the place of the city which is the most accessibility is CBD. It is the main commercial
area of a city which is the smallest ring and small in size.
▪ This area contains shops, offices, banks, etc.
▪ Land is expensive, and this area has high rents and multi story buildings as a
consequence.
▪ There is very little space and competition is high.
▪ Congestion levels are high.
▪ Vegetated areas are sparse.

Wholesale and Manufacturing

Various kinds of industries are not built up in around the CBD. It is mainly seen beside of
major roads, railway station or in river port related area. This sector can be built up at any
direction keeping the competence of CBD.

Low class residential area

This type of area found at any place of the city.
▪ This group is made up of old buildings. With no gardens.
▪ Often referred to as ‘slums’.
▪ The poorest people in the settlement live here.

Middle class residential area

This residential area is located in the middle place of low class and high class residential area.
It covers the high class residential area from both sides. This residential area occupies an
important part of the city. The life style of this area is neither much standard nor low quality.

▪ Semi-detached housing is found here with no gardens.

▪ These houses are built on large estates.
▪ Less expensive private estates can also be found here.
▪ Often described as ‘medium class residential’ or ‘inter-war’ areas.

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High class residential area

High class people build up to this kind of settlement, to the urban fringe areas to free from the
tumult of the city. This area is far away from CBD. But most of the inhabitants of this area
have own car. So they do not feel so much trouble to communicate with CBD.
▪ This is a high class residential area where private, quality housing can be found.
▪ Detached and semi-detached housing can be built on cheaper land.
▪ Often lots of garages, big gardens, and many out buildings can be found here.
▪ Most people commute to work from this zone as it is furthest away from the centre.

Heavy manufacturing area

This kind of land use is found to the urban fringe area a large area is needed for heavy
industry. Standard communication system and transport mode is the precondition of it. All
kinds of communication such as rail path, road path, water path etc remain with this area.

Marginal commercial area

Except CBD, many times this type of commercial area is built up to the urban fringe area
because of demand. Usually, this type of area is found in the middle of high class and low
class residential area, such as Tongi, Narayanganj, on the context of Dhaka city.

Sub-urban residence
Due to much development of communication system, this type of sub-urban residence is built
up to the urban fringe area in order to reduce land pressure in urban centre. These areas have
good communication with city in spite of having far away from the centre. Example: Savar in
case of Dhaka.

Sub-urban industry
It is far away from the main city. This type of sub-urban industry is built up in heavy industry
related area. Example: the industries of Fatulla, Tongi etc.

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But yet at present, a perfect theory of urban land use is not originated by any one because the
history and growth pattern of different city of the world are not same. Yet the importance of
these theories is unbounded to explain the structure of various cities of the world.

Advantages of the multiple nuclei model

▪ Improved transportation
▪ Hierarchical order of land use
▪ Functional zones
▪ Agglomeration
▪ Suburbanization and decentralization
▪ Accommodation of irregularities
▪ Time dimension
▪ Flexibility

Assumptions of the model

▪ Single urban core encircling with concentric or radial pattern of land use is physically
impossible.
▪ Because of physical impossibility of such concentration and existence of separating
factors separate nuclei arise.

Criticisms of the model

▪ Harris and Ullman did not provide any important modification of existing models.
They only continued the process of bringing the original zonal model closer to the
reality of large cities.
▪ The diagrammatic representation of their ideas is much more difficult to compare with
maps of sample cities than for the previous two models.
▪ This theory cannot produce a simple model of urban structure.

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Implicit assumptions of Burgess, Hoyt, and Harris and Ullman’s models of

urban structure in common
Their implicit assumptions are:
1) Great variation in characteristics e.g. heterogeneity of the population in culture
and society.
2) Competition for centrality because of limited space leading to highest land
value. The opposite is true of peripheral areas.
3) City centre being centre of employment.
4) Commercial and industrial base to the economy of the city.
5) Private ownership of property and capitalist mode of competition for space.
6) Expanding area and population of the city by invasion and succession.
7) No historic survival in any district to influence the land-use pattern.
8) No districts being more attractive because of differences in terrain.
9) Hierarchical order of land use.
The Concentric, Sector models and multiple nuclei models have many
features in common:
1) Both models focus on importance of accessibility. The centrally located
C.B.D. is the most accessible and its land value or rent-bid is the highest.
2) Distant decay theory is applicable in both models. Land values and population
density decline with distance from the central places.
3) There are clear-cut and abrupt boundaries between the land-use zones.
4) Both concern the study of ground-floor functions instead of the three-
dimensional study as height of buildings is neglected
5) Residential segregation
Social-economic status segregates residential areas. The lower-income groups live in the
inner city which is suffering from urban decay or in areas near the factory zone.
Nearness to working places reduces time and cost of transport, but gives better working
opportunities and easiness of obtaining various orders of goods and services. In contrast,
the higher-income groups occupy the urban periphery with better living environment far
away from the factory zone and the lower-income groups.
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Difference among Concentric and Sector models

1) concentric model with circular pattern of land use zones; while sector model
with sectoral pattern of land use zones
2) land use zones in sector model developed along transport routes radiating out
from CBD; while concentric model never mention the transport development
3) sector model emphasizes the repelling forces of land uses; but concentric
model concerns the invasion, succession forces on the pattern of the land use

Difference among Concentric, Sector and Multiple nuclei models

1) monocentric – concentric, sector model; polycentric – multiple nuclei
2) multiple nuclei more complex in term of land use zones, e.g. industrial
suburbs
3) multiple nuclei allows the suburbanization, transport development, outward
growth of city
4) multiple nuclei model gives the idea of land use pattern of a city only

Criticism of the models

A number of criticisms have been levelled on the three models. They include the following:
1) Negligence of height of buildings.
2) Non-existence of abrupt divisions between zones.
3) Each zone displays a significant degree of internal heterogeneity and not
homogeneity.
4) Unawareness of inertia forces.
5) No consideration of influence of physical relief and government policy.
6) The concepts may not be totally applicable to oriental cities with different
cultural, economic and political backgrounds.