Section 2: Settlement Site, Function and Hierarchy
Part 3
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the characteristics
and location of land use zones in MEDC cities (with reference to places for
illustration only):
 Central Business District
 Inner City
 Suburban residential
 Industrial zone
 The rural-urban fringe
Cities are fairly complex places. Cities develop over long periods of time and are
always trying to redevelop and reinvent themselves. For the purposes of this part
of the course we are going to try to identify different features within the city and
we are going to try and group them together into broad categories that will help
us to understand how and why they have been built up in this way. The story of
how a city develops is often linked very closely with the history of the place.
The patterns of urban land use result from many different choices made by
individuals, planners, architects and local government. These decisions are
mostly influenced by economic factors. Competition for the use of sites tends to
result in the occupation of each site by the land use which is able to derive the
greatest profit from that site. Urban land use is closely related to land values and
these land values usually reach a peak at the city centre and decline as you
move away from the city centre.
Central Business District
The central downtown area contains the main commercial streets and public
buildings. This is the core of the city’s business and civic life. In the past the
CBD was a district of varied land use but over the years the rising value of CBD
land and property has forced out most of the residential and industrial users.
Peak land values occur at the centre where there are department stores,
supermarkets and HQ offices (companies with large turnovers and high profits).
The smaller trader is forced out to the edge of the CBD. The CBD is an area
where vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic is likely to be most concentrated.
Inner City
The Inner city was the main source of income for the city. Cities in the UK were
built up upon their industrial output. Many people would migrate into cities in the
late 19th century and early 20th century to work in new factories in the Inner City
areas that generally surrounded the CBD. Many of the streets in Inner Cities
were built up of terraced houses that were close to the main source of
employment or factory.
Suburban residential
Residential areas account for the largest single use of land area in any city (about
45% of the total area in towns over 10,000 in the UK). Large scale suburban
residential development took place in most cities throughout the 20th century.
Much of this was fuelled due to the increase of car ownership and public
transport. People no longer had to live within walking distance of where they
worked and could move to houses with more space at the edge of the city. Most
houses in this zone are areas of low density housing, with a predominance of
single family residences.
Industrial zone
Most old cities grew up because of heavy industries that grew up near the CBD
and were close to transport links. As factories grew, so too did houses that
workers would be able to live in close to the industry. In many cases, it was
actually the factory owners who built and owned the buildings that their workers
would live in. This meant that losing your job also meant losing your house as
well. In recent times, industry has started to locate to better ‘brown-field’ sites in
redeveloped parts of the city or to ‘green-field’ sites that are in the rural-urban
fringe and where industry has space to grow and develop lovely working
surroundings.
The rural-urban fringe
From the 1960s, many people had increased disposable income and they wanted
more from where they lived. People wanted better than the ‘2-up 2-down’ houses
that they had been brought up in and as they had more income, they wanted
houses that had more rooms and more green space. Urban sprawl continued
with land in these areas being used to develop private developments or for outercity council housing estates.
Note Taking Activities
You need to have a good understanding of each of the different sectors in the
city.
1. Title: Central Business District
Take notes from Page 4 about the CBD
Cut out an appropriate picture from the ‘Picture sheet’ to help illustrate
your notes.
2. Title: Inner City
Take notes from Page 4 and Page 5 about ‘Old inner city areas’
Cut out appropriate picture from the ‘Picture sheet’ to help illustrate your
notes
3. Title: Suburban residential
Take notes from Page 6 about ‘Suburbia’
Cut out appropriate picture from the ‘Picture sheet’ to help illustrate your
notes
4. Title: Industrial Zone
Take notes from Page 5 about ‘Industry’
Cut out appropriate picture from the ‘Picture sheet’ to help illustrate your
notes
5. Title: The rural-urban fringe
Take notes from Page 6 and Page 7 about ‘The rural-urban fringe’
Cut out appropriate picture from the ‘Picture sheet’ to help illustrate your
notes
Some things you could look up
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/landscapes/lev2_landuse_urban_script.shtml
http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Urban_structure/Urbanstructure_intro.html
Some Key revision facts about urban settlement
from BBC GCSE Bitesize
The Central Business District (CBD) in the city centre is where most business and
commerce is located.
The following features easily identify the CBD:

High/multi-storey buildings.

Expensive land values.

Department stores or specialist shops, like jewellers.

Shopping malls and pedestrian precincts.

Cultural/historical buildings, museums and castles.

Offices, finance, banks, administration, town hall (business sector).

Bus and railway stations (transport centres).

Multi-storey car parks.
The CBD is located in the centre because it is:

A central location for road/railways to converge.

The most accessible location for workers.

Accessible to most people for shops and businesses.
To help you remember how to identify a CBD, think of a city you know. In your exam give
named examples for the features listed above.
The inner city
The inner city is also known as the 'twilight zone'. It is typically found next to the CBD and
has mainly terraced houses in a grid like pattern. These were originally built to house factory
workers who worked in the inner city factories. Many of these factories have now closed
down.
Unemployment and other socio-economic problems have led to periods of unrest in many
inner city areas, eg Toxteth in Liverpool. Many inner city areas declined in the late 20th
century and have undergone a period of regeneration in recent years, for example Watford
Arches Retail Park, which is located on a former industrial site. Run down terraced housing is
often bought by investors and improved to appeal to young professionals who need access to
the CBD. This is called gentrification.
The suburbs
Suburban houses are usually larger than inner city terraces and most have a garden.
Typically, they are detached or semi detached and the roads around them are arranged in cul
de sacs and wide avenues. Land prices are generally cheaper than in the CBD and inner city,
although the desirability of housing can make some areas expensive.
Many suburbs were built in the UK in the 1930s and have a distinctive style of housing, as
shown in the picture to the right. More modern housing estates were built in the late 20th
century as towns and cities have continued to grow.
Facilities such as schools, places of worship and parks are often present, and many are
served by a local supermarket.
Suburban areas are often home to commuters who need access to the CBD along main roads
and railways, and they are also within easy reach of the countryside.
The urban rural fringe
This is found at the edge of a town or city and is where town meets country. It is common
for this area to have a mixture of land uses such as some housing, golf courses, allotments,
business parks and airports.
The mixture of land use often causes conflict as different groups have different need and
interests. For example, building Terminal 5 at Heathrow on the outskirts of London was a
source of controversy. The need for another runway continues to cause conflicts of interest.
Urban Land Use Picture sheet
Use these pictures to help illustrate your notes about each of the different types of urban
land use. Cut them out and stick them into your book at the appropriate place.