Guess The Cities?

Land use in urban areas

L.OsTo be able to name and describe the main areas of a city

To be able to explain the different functions of each area

To be able to evaluate why different land areas have different functions and purposes.

Urban Zones in Leicester

The land in a city can be used for a variety of purposes. Can you think just what different land uses there are?

Rural-urban fringe

A simple model of a city layout

The Burgess and Hoyt modelsGeographers have put together models of land use to show how a 'typical' city is laid out. One of the most famous of these is the Burgess or concentric zone model.

This model is based on the idea that land values are highest in the centre of a town or city. This is because competition is high in the central parts of the settlement. This leads to high-rise, high-density buildings being found near the CBD, with low-density, sparse developments on the edge of the town or city

Another urban model is The Hoyt model. This is based on the circles on the Burgess model, but adds sectors of similar land uses concentrated in parts of the city. Notice how some zones, eg the factories/industry zone, come out from the CBD. This is probably following the line of a main road or a railway.

• Stick your land use model into your book

• Label each part. (CBD, Inner city, Suburbs and rural-urban fringe)

• Write brief notes explaining the uses for each part.

• Include: Where it is found, What type of housing and business are found there, how valuable is the land and population density.

CharacteristicsThe CBD is the commercial centre. It contains the main shops such as small specialist shops, chainstores, shopping centres and department stores. Offices, financial institutions and administrative buildings of the city such as town halls are found here as well as many facilities such as pubs, clubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas It is usually the most accessible (easy to get to) part of the city. This is because most of the main roads and railways lead here so bus and train stations are found here too. Buildings tend to be tall and all of the land is densely packed with buildings with very little open space and greenery.

Land ValuesLand values tend to be very high, this is because big businesses want to locate here. It is cheaper to build up than out so buildings are often multi storey. Also, there is a limited amount of open space available. New developments (e.g. Highcross) tend to focus on redeveloping existing areas rather than using the limited open space available.

The Central Business District (CBD)

Population Density During the day the CBD has lots of people. This is due to the high number of shoppers, and shop and office workers. However, the CBD has a limited number of houses but will have some expensive flats due to the high land values in this area.

The Inner City

Terraced Housing

Victorian Factories

CharacteristicsThis area is typically found next to the CBD and contain high density 19th Century housing and factories. They were originally built to house factory workers who worked in the local factories many of which have now closed. Houses are usually small and terraced often without gardens. The streets are narrow and often straight and form a grid pattern on a map. This area tends to be run down unless housing has been redeveloped or gentrification has occurred. This area usually experiences social and economic problems. Highfields, Clarendon Park and Belgrave are inner city areas in Leicester

Land ValuesLand values are lower than those in the CBD. However, they still remain high as the inner city is close to the CBD.

Population Density Population density in the inner city is very high. To save money planners wanted to house as many people into a smaller space as possible. Nowadays these areas often have large ethnic minority populations.

The Inner city

The Suburbs

Examples of this zone in Leicester are places like Stoneygate, Oadby and Knighton

The SuburbsCharacteristicsThis area contains houses built during the inter-war period (1930's). Many of the houses found in this zone are semi-detached and detached. The houses are characterised by their front and back gardens, driveways, garages and bay windows. Streets are often cul-de-sacs and wide avenues. Stoneygate is known as the ‘Leafy Suburbs’ as there are many mature trees there. More modern housing estates have been built in the late 20th century as towns and cities have continued to grow. These areas often have facilities like parks, schools, supermarkets. The suburbs are often the homes to commuters who need to get to the CBD along the main roads and this area is also within easy reach of the countryside.Land Values

Cheaper than in the CBD and inner city which is why the houses are larger and have bigger gardens. Some areas are very desirable which can make them expensive.

Population Density Because the houses have more space than the inner city the population density is lower. It is less crowded.

The Rural - Urban Fringe

In Leicester, the area of Evington Village is a good example, as are new developments in places like Hamilton and Oadby

This area is found on the edge of the city where the city meets the countryside

CharacteristicsThe urban rural fringe contains a mixture of land uses. This area includes housing, recreational facilities such as golf courses, parks, garden centres and has farming areas next to it. These areas tend to contain areas of better quality housing (usually detached) .Gardens and houses are larger due to lower land values and more open space is available. There is usually a mixture of private and council-owned housing.Areas of private housing usually consist of low density, high quality housing although modern developments often have many houses squeezed into an area. The layout of these areas are usually crescent shaped and cul-de-sacs.

Land ValuesLow land values. Therefore larger houses with sizeable gardens, driveways and garages are located here.

Population Density Low population densities exist in this area.