Urban Land Use Patterns (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Urban Land Values

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.069

• All urban settlements have recurring features:

  • A central core or central business district (CBD)
  • Industrial areas
  • Different residential districts
  • Shopping centres
  • High-rise buildings
  • Cultural and leisure areas
  • Multi-storey car parks
  • Bus and railway stations

• These features have created segregated land use over time

Land values

• Segregation of land use is due to the differences in urban land values

  • Land that has 'purpose' will be valuable and cost more to buy or rent

• Usually, retail shops can make money and seek prime positions

  • Segregation is formed by retailers that can afford to be in those prime locations
  • Therefore, land uses of similar activities will come together creating 'peaks' and 'troughs' of land values across the urban landscape

• There are a couple of points to consider:

  • The value of the land:

    • Land value varies across the urban areas
    • Value usually decreases from the centre, outwards
    • Higher land prices are also found along main roads, urban hubs and around ring roads

  • The location of the land:

    • Location is important to value
    • The closer to key functions, the higher the value
    • Accessibility and desirability increase land value

Distribution of urban land value

Patterns of Urban Development

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.069

• Cities can be segregated into zones

• Zones will have similar land values and locational needs, such as access for customers, employees, etc. or space for expansion or privacy

• All towns and cities grow outwards, in a series of rings, from a historic centre or core to an urban fringe

• Each zone grows due to the needs of the city during its development, over time

• As a general rule, all towns and cities, regardless of place or level of development, show the same four features:

  • A central core: the oldest part of a city

    • Home to the central business district (CBD) e.g. banks, retail and commercial offices

  • An inner-city ring: also known as the twilight zone

    • Older, terraced 'worker' housing
    • Older industrial areas
    • Areas are centred around transport links and access

  • A suburban ring: residential area

    • Semi- and detached housing with gardens
    • Tree-lined avenues and cul-de-sacs
    • Smaller retail premises

  • An urban fringe: outer edges of the city

    • The countryside is eroded through the urban spread
    • Housing is clustered into estates
    • Some industrial land use
    • Accessibility is best

• Other similar characteristics of modern urban settlements include:

  • The age of the built-up area decreases from the core to the fringe
  • The density of building developments decreases from the core to the fringe
  • Grandeur, function, design and style changes across the zones

Exam Hint

• Remember that whilst the four-zone model is simple and applies to virtually all urban areas across the globe, each zone varies in character, use and people depending on circumstances.
• In emerging cities, the urban fringe contains informal settlements or shanty towns that serve as 'housing estates', while industry remains informal.
• Whereas, in developed cities, the poorer areas are usually within the inner city, and industry is on the fringes for ease of access to motorways.
• Same features but different characteristics/uses.

Four Zones of a City

Bid-rent theory

• Also known as 'distance decay theory', where the price and demand for land change as the distance from the CBD increases
• Different land uses will compete for desirable plots to maximise their profits
• Accessibility increases the potential for more customers
• There is a trade-off between accessibility and the cost of the land
• The closer to the CBD, the more desirable land is to retail and the higher the price charged/paid
• Industry cannot compete with high prices moving further away from CBD
• Residential land is outpriced across the zones, but competition is less so value decreases as more space becomes available

* Illustration showing bid-rent theory*

Residential Pattern

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.069

• People are also zoned or 'sorted' within an urban area

• People will live near other people who they consider the same

  • This may be due to ethnicity, religion, occupation, etc.

• This creates an urban pattern of self-organised segregation

• The largest segregation is created through personal wealth

• The wealthiest people can buy smart, large homes in the best locations

• This forces the less well-off to live in cramped or sub-standard housing in the worst areas

• Many have to pay high rental prices with little to no security

• Due to their limited means, many are forced to live in small, cramped spaces creating high-density residential areas and unequal sorting across the urban area

Worked Example

Study the photograph.

Explain one piece of evidence that shows this is a central urban area

(1 mark)

An urban area in Amman, Jordan

• Answer:

  • 1 mark for a piece of evidence, 1 mark for developing the point, e.g.
  • The housing in the picture is very high density (1), which is typical of city areas where land values are high (1)
  • The image shows multiple-storey houses (1) which are likely to house large numbers of people (1)
  • There is little green space (1), indicating the built-up nature of the area since land values are so high (1)