URBAN PLANNING

MODULE 4

Early models of Urban structure (As per syllabus): Concentric ring model,
Sector model,
Multiple nuclei model etc.

Current Planning trends: New Urbanism,

Transit Oriented Development,
Inclusive cities,
Sustainable cities,
Resilient cities and
Smart cities
 URBAN STRUCTURE

Urban structure comprises the overall topography and land division pattern
of an urban area.
Early models of Urban structure
 VON THUNEN MODEL OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

• The Von Thunen model of agricultural land use was created in 1826 prior to
industrialization ( “concentric rings theory of agriculture land use”)
• Johann Heinrich Von Thunen (24 June 1783 – 22 September 1850) was a farmer,
landowner, and economic who created perhaps the first known spatial economic
model on land rent using observations he had experienced.

The key assumptions in the classical model are:

1) a city is centrally located in an “isolated state,”
2) the surrounding areas around a town is wilderness,
3) land is generally flat,
4) soil quality and climate are consistent,
5) farmers transport goods to a market using mainly carts
 VON THUNEN MODEL OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

The most productive activities will be closer to

the center & activities not productive enough will
be located far away from the center

1. Urban center
2. Dairy
3. Forest
4. Crops
5. Ranching

Beyond this is wilderness

VON THUNEN MODEL OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE

Von Thunen was the first

to develop a basic
analytical model of the
relationships between
markets, production, and
distance

Strong relationship between the transport system and regional

agricultural land use patterns can be acknowledged at the continental
level in North America.
 CONCENTRIC ZONE MODEL
The Concentric zone model, or Burgess model is a model to explain how a settlement, such
as a city, will grow. It was developed by Ernest W. Burgess between 1925 and 1929. He was
a Canadian-American urban sociologist

• The model was the first to explain why certain

groups of people lived in certain areas of the city.
Model was based on Chicago city on the basis of
ecological factors

1. The Central Business District

2. Transition Zone
3. Low-class residential homes
4. Better residential zone
5. Commuter zone
 CONCENTRIC ZONE MODEL

Assumptions :

1. Population is evenly distributed

2. Movement is equally easy in all directions
3. The city is considered as plain area
4. Economic rent is higher in city centre (CBD) & decrease away from core
5. Low income families are forced to live in high density apartments or tenements close to
CBD
 CONCENTRIC ZONE MODEL

1. The Central Business District

• Non-Residential centre for Business
• Commuted by residents of other
zones
2. Transition Zone
• Dilapidated housing & infrastructure
• Mixed residential & commercial uses
3. Low-class residential homes
Stable working class residential homes
4. Higher-class residential zone
• Newer & more spacious zones
• Well educated people
• 5. Commuter zone
• Mostly upper class
• Can afford to commute into city for
work or entertainment
 CBD
City
Center
 CONCENTRIC ZONE MODEL

Problems with Theory

Does not work with modern cities or cities outside of US

Assumes an unchanging Landscape – flat land without geographic features inhibiting
growth
According to Burgess, urban growth is a process of expansion and reconversion of
land uses, with a tendency of each inner zone to expand towards the outer zone
The further from the CBD, the better the quality of housing, but the longer the
commuting time. Thus, accessing better housing is done at the expense of longer
commuting times (and costs)
 SECTOR MODEL

• The sector model, also known as the Hoyt model, is a model of urban land
use proposed in 1939 by land economist Homer Hoyt.

Homer Hoyt (June 14, 1895 – November 29, 1984) was an American economist.
born in Missouri. He conducted path-breaking research on land economics,
analysis of neighborhoods and housing-market

• Sector model is a modification of the concentric zone model of city development.

• The benefits - the model allows for an outward progression of growth
• This model applies to numerous British cities
 SECTOR MODEL

• Hoyt studied 64 different American

cities

• Sector , in the shape of wedge, begins

at the edge of CBD & gradually widens
to periphery

• Activities in a sector are considered to

be the same throughout the sector
because of the purpose/function it
serves
 SECTOR MODEL
HOW ARE SECTORS DEVELOPED

❖ The growth of a city depends on the direction of the transport

route (directional factor)
❖ High rent sectors would expand according to 4 factors
• along travel routes towards another nucleus of high
rent buildings
• along waterfronts, when these are not used by
industries
• along the route of fastest transportation
• will move towards open spaces

❖ As high-rent sectors develop, areas between them are filled

in
• Middle – rent areas move next to them, drawing on
their prestige
• Low-rent areas fill the remaining areas
• Moving away from major travel routes , rent goes
from high to low
SECTOR MODEL

Barcelona
 SECTOR MODEL
Advantages of the Sector Model:
• It looks at the effect of transport and
communication links.
• Numerous cities do seem to have followed
this model.
• Pie shaped wedges made by Hoyt
compensated for the drawbacks of the Ring
model.
• Though not perfect it takes into account the
lines of growth.
• It allows for an outward progression of
growth.
Limitations:
• The theory is based on early twentieth-century
rail transport and does not make allowances for
private cars
• The theory also does not take into account the
new concepts of edge cities and boomburbs
• Since its creation, the traditional Central
Business District has diminished in importance as
many retail and office buildings have moved into
the suburbs.
 MULTIPLE NUCLEI MODEL

• The multiple nuclei model is an economical model created by Chauncy

Harris and Edward Ullman in the 1945 article "The Nature of Cities“

• It says that even though a city may have begun with a central business district, or
CBD, other smaller CBDs develop on the outskirts of the city

• This creates nodes or nuclei in other parts of the city besides the CBD thus the name
multiple nuclei model.
Aim: Move away from the concentric zone model
To better reflect the complex nature of urban areas, especially those
of larger size
 MULTIPLE NUCLEI MODEL
The model assumes that:
1.Land is not flat in all areas
2.Even Distribution of Resources
3.Even Distribution of people in Residential areas
4.Even Transportation Costs

Reasons for the model:

1.Certain industrial activities require transportation facilities
to lower transportation costs.

2. Various combinations of activities tend to be kept apart

e.g. residential areas and airports

3. Other activities are found together for their mutual

advantage e.g. universities, bookstores and coffee shops,
etc.

4. Some facilities need to be set in specific areas in a city -

for example, the CBD requires convenient traffic systems
MULTIPLE NUCLEI MODEL

Meerut

Greater Noida
 MULTIPLE NUCLEI MODEL

Criticisms
• Negligence of the height of buildings.
• Non-existence of abrupt divisions between zones.
• Each zone displays a significant degree of internal heterogeneity and not
homogeneity.
• No consideration of the influence of physical relief and government policy.
• The concepts may not apply to Asian cities with different cultural, economic and
political backgrounds.
 CORE FRAME MODEL
1. The Core frame model is a model showing
the urban structure of the Central Business
District of a town or city. The model was first
suggested by Ronald R. Boyce and Edgar M.
Horwood in 1959
2. The model includes an inner core where land is
Current Planning
expensive and used intensively, resulting in vertical
development. This area is the focus of the
transport system and has a concentrated daytime

3.
population.
Trends
The outer core and frame have lower land values
and are less intensively developed.
4. The various land uses are linked to the bid rent
theory. The zone of assimilation and zone of
discard are together called the zone of transition
 NEW URBANISM

Stefanos Polyzoides coined the phrase

New Urbanism in 1991

• New Urbanism is a planning and

development approach based on the
principles of how cities and towns had been
built for the last several centuries: walkable
blocks and streets, housing and
shopping in close proximity, and
accessible public spaces. In other
words: New Urbanism focuses on
human-scaled urban design.

Greenfield developments in Seaside; Celebration, Florida

 TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

• In urban planning, a transit-oriented

development is a type of urban
development that maximizes the
amount of residential, business and
leisure space within walking distance
of public transport. It promotes a
symbiotic relationship between dense,
compact urban form and public
transport use.

Curitiba has developed a high quality of life for its

inhabitants by prioritizing people over cars.
 INCLUSIVE CITIES

Inclusive cities are those that value

all people and their needs and
contributions equally. ... Inclusive
cities ensure the working poor have
access to secure and dignified
livelihoods, affordable housing, and
basic services such as water/sanitation
and electricity supply.
 SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Sustainable cities, urban

sustainability, or eco-city is a city
designed with consideration for
social, economic, environmental
impact, and resilient habitat for
existing populations, without
compromising the ability of future
generations to experience the
same

Singapore. With a population of more than five million people, Singapore is often
recognized as one of the most forward-thinking green cities in Asia. The city-state has
developed a Sustainable Development Blueprint, which outlines sustainability goals
leading up to 2030.
 RESILIENT CITIES

Resilient cities are cities that can

better handle natural and
human-made disasters, protect
human life, absorb the impact of
economic, environmental and
social hazards and promote
well-being and inclusive and
sustainable growth.
 SMART CITIES

A smart city uses information

and communication
technology (ICT) to improve
operational efficiency, share
information with the public and
provide a better quality of
government service and citizen
welfare. ... An infrastructure
based around technology.