Which model portrays urban social structure as concentric rings around a central business district?

Which model portrays urban social structure as concentric rings around a central business district?

• A. Exurbs
• B. Disamenity Zones
• C. Burgess Concentric Zone Model
• D. Urban Decentralization

Answer: (C)

The Burgess Concentric Zone Model imagines the city as a set of circular rings radiating outward from a central business district. Each ring represents a different pattern of land use and social groups: the center is the CBD with dense commercial activity; around it is the Zone of Transition, a mixed and often poorer area; then the Zone of Working-Class Homes; next comes the Zone of Middle-Class Residential areas; and finally the outermost ring is the Commuter Zone, where suburbs and longer commutes are common. This concentric layout around the core business area is exactly what the model depicts, making it the best description for urban social structure organized in rings around the central business district. Other patterns describe different urban forms without the neat circular bands around the center.

The Burgess Concentric Zone Model imagines the city as a set of circular rings radiating outward from a central business district. Each ring represents a different pattern of land use and social groups: the center is the CBD with dense commercial activity; around it is the Zone of Transition, a mixed and often poorer area; then the Zone of Working-Class Homes; next comes the Zone of Middle-Class Residential areas; and finally the outermost ring is the Commuter Zone, where suburbs and longer commutes are common. This concentric layout around the core business area is exactly what the model depicts, making it the best description for urban social structure organized in rings around the central business district. Other patterns describe different urban forms without the neat circular bands around the center.