Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Grey, and I'm so excited that you've decided to join me to learn geography today.

Today's lesson is in our unit of cities, what are they like to live in? And the title of today's lesson is Urban Structure and Land Use.

By the end of the lesson today, you will be able to compare different land use models and apply them to real-world cities.

There are some keywords that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are land use, central business district, or CBD, and commuter.

Land use is how different areas of land are used.

For example, residential, commercial, and their function.

Central business district, or CBD, is the centre of a town or city with the highest land value.

And a commuter is a person who travels somewhere else to work.

Today's lesson on urban structure and land use is split into two learning cycles.

The first, what are urban land use models, and the second, do real cities match the models? Let's take a look at our first learning cycle.

What are urban land use models? Urban land use is how different areas of land are used.

For example, residential, commercial, and industrial.

So residential is housing where people live.

Commercial is things such as shops, and industrial is industry like factories.

Urban land use models were created to help explain the pattern of land use within cities.

The Burgess model, created in 1925, suggests that cities are structured in concentric circles, and you can see an example of the Burgess model on the screen here.

So in the centre, we have the CBD, then industry transition zone, then lower value housing in blue, and in green, the medium value housing, at the edge, the yellow, higher value housing, or the commuter zone.

Let's take a look at each of those in a bit more detail.

The central business district, which is shortened to CBD, is easily identifiable as the area with the tallest buildings, and that's right in the centre, that red circle there.

You can see here an image of Sheffield's CBD.

Now, a CBD generally has high-rise buildings, shops, offices, transport hubs, road, bus and train, high land values, and high footfall.

So it's busy during the day.

Our first check of today's lesson then.

According to the Burgess model, this area of the city is the what? So you can see an image there of the Burgess model and an arrow pointing to that red circle in the middle.

What area of the city is that? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? According to the Burgess model, this area of the city is the CBD, central business district.

Did you get that right? Well done.

The model shows an industrial zone around the CBD.

So the orange circle is the industrial or transitional zone.

In the model, this is where factories and industry are located.

Which is also an area of transition between the CBD and the residential zones where people live.

So it includes poorer quality housing and mixed land use.

The model then suggests that lower value residential areas are found around the industrial zone.

Traditionally, this is densely packed, terraced housing in the UK.

And these houses were built during the industrial revolution for factory workers.

You can see an image there of the lower value residential area.

The medium value residential areas, which are shown here in green, these areas are generally further out, and they're often called the suburbs.

So you can see an image there of an example of a suburban area.

These are lower density housing, such as semi-detached or detached housing with gardens.

You also get cul-de-sacs and crescents.

So we can see a difference there between the lower value housing and the medium value residential area.

Another check for our lesson today then.

According to the Burgess model, where would we expect to find the industrial or transition zone? Have a look at this image here of the Burgess model.

Which one of those is the industrial, transitional zone? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you go on.

Okay, how did you get on? According to the Burgess model, where would we expect to find the industrial, transition zone? Industry is located just outside the CBD.

So it's in the orange there on the Burgess model.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now the higher value, commuter zone of the model is based at the rural urban fringe on the edge of the city.

So you can see an image there of the types of housing that we get there.

The rural urban fringe is mixed land use, such as housing estates, farms, parks, shopping centres, and newer developments.

So that's what we get at the very edge of the city in the higher-value, commuter zone.

The highest value of land is usually at the centre of the city.

This is because it's most easily accessible and so is most in demand.

Now buildings in the CBD are tall to make the greatest use of the high land value.

So because it's so expensive to buy that land, in order to make those buildings bigger, instead of buying more land, they make them taller.

So we've got more building but on the same footprint.

The value of the land tends to decline with distance from the CBD.

So as we move away from the CBD in general, the value of the land tends to decline.

However, houses on the outskirts are often more expensive overall because they are much larger.

So the houses on the outskirts of the city tend to be much larger, even though the land value per square metre is usually lower than the city centre.

Even though it is generally lower per square metre overall, the cost of those houses are more expensive because they're much larger.

Another check then.

True or false? Land values in the CBD are low.

Is that true or false? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Land values in the CBD are low.

Is that true or false? That's false.

Why is it false? So land values in the CBD are high because it is a prime location for shops and businesses.

This is because it is easily accessible.

High-rise buildings make the most of the CBD's high land value.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Another check for us now then.

Another true or false.

Is it true or false? Houses in the suburbs tend to be bigger.

Is that true or false? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? True or false? Houses in the suburbs tend to be bigger.

That is true.

Why is it true? So in the suburbs, each property is larger on average because of the value of land is lower.

So houses tend to be semi-detached or detached with gardens.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now, other urban land use models suggest different patterns of land use.

For example, the Hoyt model, which we can see here, shows industrial zones extending outward from the CBD, often along major transport routes.

So a different type of model here.

We've still got the CBD in the centre, but now we've got industry extending outwards from the CBD, generally along major transport routes.

And that makes sense for industry, doesn't it? Izzy says, see how the higher value places to live are well aware from the noisy and smelly industry.

And that's right.

Yeah, the higher value residential area and the medium value residential areas, the green and the yellow on there, are far away from industry.

Another check for us now then.

Identify each zone of the Hoyt model of urban land use.

So we've got industry, lower value housing, CBD, high value residential zone, and the medium value housing.

So pause the video, write down your answer, identify which colour is which different zone of land use, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did it get on? So industry, that's the orange.

The lower value housing is the blue, the CBD is the red circle right in the centre, the high value residential zone is in yellow, and the medium value housing is that section in green.

How did you get on? Did you get those right? Well done.

Okay, so now onto to our first practise task of the lesson.

So, task 1.

Add a key or label the different zones of the Burgess urban land use model.

See you've got an image here of the Burgess urban land use model, and you need to add a key or label those different zones.

That's your first task.

Your second task, tick the boxes in the table to show where you would expect to find the following.

So terraced houses, semi-detached houses, highest land value, and out-of-town shopping centres.

So where would you expect to find those? Would it be the CBD, industry transition zone, lower value housing, medium value housing, commuter zone, high value housing.

So you need to put a tick in the correct box.

So pause the video, complete those two tasks and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, let's see how you got on then.

See, your key should look like this for the Burgess model.

The CBD is the red right in the centre.

And immediately after that in orange is the industry and transition zone, followed by the blue, which is the lower value housing.

Then the green, which is the medium value housing.

And then right on the edge, in the yellow, we've got the higher value housing, commuter zone.

Task 2.

Terraced houses, they're found in the lower value housing area.

Semi-detached houses are found in the medium value housing area.

The highest land value is in the CBD, and out-of-town shopping centres are found in the commuter zone or high value housing area.

How did you do with those tasks? Did you get them all right? Well done.

So now we're gonna move on to our second learning cycle of the lesson, which is, do real cities match the models? Do you think the Burgess model accurately represents cities in the UK? Andeep says, "The city where I live doesn't look like that at all.

Most of the factories have closed down." Is that the same for you? Do you think it does match cities? Does it match the cities that you know? Let's have a look at some examples.

Urban land use models often don't fit modern UK cities for a variety of reasons.

So urban land use models are often inspired by cities in a different part of the world.

The Burgess model, for example, was created on Chicago, in the USA.

Now urban land use models often ignore local physical geography.

The Burgess model doesn't even match Chicago, which it was based on, due its location next to Lake Michigan.

So there's the Burgess land use model.

And if that was Chicago, that's Lake Michigan right through the middle.

So it doesn't even match the city that it was built, built around.

Urban land use models may also be out of date.

The Burgess model was created in 1925, and cities are very dynamic places, which have changed a lot over time.

So it makes sense that these models may not fit modern cities.

The industry, a transition zone, which is this orange zone here, is often not quite the same as what we find in the UK.

So in the UK, many factories that existed in the early 20th century have now closed.

Old industrial areas may now be a mix of factories, warehouses, leisure facilities and residential apartments.

Some of these areas have become sought-after places to live and work.

Another check for us now then.

Urban land use models don't precisely match the land use of real cities because, A, the models are often created a long time ago and cities change, B, physical geography can affect land use, C, there are unlikely to be any similarities between cities, and D, land use models are often based on a particular city.

So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Urban land use models don't precisely match the land use of real cities because the models are often created a long time ago and cities change.

Physical geography can affect land use, and land use models are often based on a particular city.

How did you get on? Did you get those? Well done.

However, comparing cities to urban land use models is still a good way of helping us to understand their structure and the factors that have shaped them.

So these models, the Hoyt and the Burgess model that we can see here, they're still useful for us to use, and they're still useful for us to help us understand cities.

Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, which is in Northern England.

It has a history of steel production and related industry.

You can see Sheffield identified on that map there.

Like many UK cities, Sheffield has experienced significant change due to de-industrialization.

We can use GIS to compare Sheffield to urban land use models.

We can use aerial imagery to identify different zones.

So this here is part of Sheffield's CBD, and we can see that university there and a railway station.

This is a detached and semi-detached housing in Sheffield.

So you can see the housing there in that area.

Little check for us now then.

Which of these images shows a mainly residential area? Which of these two images? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Which of these two images? And it's that one on the right there that shows the mainly residential area.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now, by examining the aerial imagery, we can create a simplified land use map for Sheffield.

So you can see this map here for Sheffield, and then we've created a land use map.

So the red is the CBD.

The orange is industry or transition zone.

The blue is lower value housing.

The green is medium value housing, and the yellow is the high value housing.

How does Sheffield compare with the Burgess model? Do you think it looks like the Burgess model? Are there any similarities, any differences? What do you think? Lucas says, "The CBD is in the centre, but overall it isn't a good match.

It doesn't spread out in concentric rings." That's exactly right.

You can see the CBD is still there in the centre, just like the Burgess model.

But the rest of the land use doesn't quite fit, does it? Because it doesn't spread out in concentric circles like the Burgess model does.

How does Sheffield compare with the Hoyt model? Have a little look at Sheffield and the Hoyt model there.

What are the similarities and differences? Laura says, "This is a closer match.

The industrial zone spreads from the CBD and corridors, and the lower value housing is around here.

The medium and high value housing is concentrated to one side." That's exactly right, isn't it? It looks a lot more similar to the Hoyt model.

However, the physical geography of Sheffield does help us to explain the land use pattern.

This elevation profile shows where is flat and where is on a hill in the city.

So this area is higher and on a hill, and this area is flat and lower.

So the flat areas, they're easier to build on, and they are where the factories were located.

The higher value houses are to the west.

The southwesterly prevailing wind takes factory pollution to the northeast.

So because of the wind, the wind is blowing, the factory pollution is blowing in the northeast.

And therefore, the higher value houses are built on the opposite side of that.

So where the factory pollution is not blowing.

And that makes sense, doesn't it? That the higher value housing are gonna be in areas where we're not getting pollution from factories.

Another check for us now then.

Which part of the elevation profile is more likely to have factories, warehouses and large leisure facilities.

So have a little look at that and identify which part is more likely to have those features.

So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Which part of the profile is more likely to have factories, warehouse and large leisure facilities? And it's this side here on the right where it's much flatter.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Okay, so our final task of the lesson now then.

So the first thing to do, compare Sheffield with the Hoyt model.

Describe the similarities and differences.

So we've got a map here of Sheffield with the different land use zones identified, and we've got an image here of the Hoyt model, and you need to compare them.

Describe the similarities and the differences.

Task two, explain three reasons why land use models may not match real cities.

Use the following headings.

So the local context of the model maker, physical geography, and changing cities.

So pause the video, complete those two tasks and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how have you got on them? So the first task, compare Sheffield with the Hoyt model.

Describe the similarities and differences.

So the similarities.

The CBD is central in both the model and Sheffield.

The industrial zone radiates out from the city in corridors.

The lower value and higher value housing are split either side of the city.

The differences.

The highest value housing is located beyond the medium value housing in the west of the city rather than in one segment.

Did you get that? Well done.

So we look at task 2 then.

This is what your answer may include.

So for the local context of the model maker.

Urban land use models often based on particular cities in a different part of the world.

The Burgess model was based on Chicago, in the USA.

The physical geography.

You may have written, "Urban land use models often neglect local physical geography.

Hills, lakes and coastlines may have a big impact on the land use zones of a city." And for changing cities, you may have written this, "Urban land use models may be a bit out of date.

The Burgess model was created in 1925.

Cities are dynamic places, which have changed a lot over time.

In the UK, many factories that existed in the early 20th century have closed.

Old inner city areas may be a mix of factories, warehouses, leisure facilities and residential apartments." So we're at the end of our lesson today then on urban structure and land use.

What have we learned today? Urban land use models help explain how cities are structured and how different areas serve different functions.

The Burgess and Hoyt models are examples of urban land use models.

Land use models often don't match the land use of real cities due to physical geography and local context.

And comparing urban land use models to cities such as Sheffield can help us understand the layout and different functions of the city.

Thank you for joining me for today's geography lesson.

I've really enjoyed it, and I hope you have too.

I'll see you next time.