Urban structure and land use
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare different urban land use models and apply them to real-world cities.
Key learning points
- 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 cities due to physical geography and local context.
- Comparing urban land use models to cities such as Sheffield can help us understand the layout and function of the city.
Keywords
Central business district - CBD - the centre of a town or city with the highest land value
Land use - how different parts of land are used (e.g. residential, commercial).
Commuter - a person who travels somewhere else to work
Common misconception
Cities grow randomly without any structure or planning.
In reality, urban land use is often influenced by models (like the Burgess or Hoyt models), and factors such as history, economics, transport links, and the environment shape how cities develop and function over time.
Teacher tip
Although this lesson uses Sheffield, pupils could investigate a city close to them and compare it with urban land use models. The Geography Visualiser is a perfect tool to do this.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following best describes urbanisation?
Q2.Which city feature is part of its infrastructure?
Q3.Which statement is true about informal settlements?
Q4.Why might people move to a city?
Q5.What is one environmental issue faced by many cities?
Q6.Which of these helps improve city life for residents?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the terms to their definitions.
Centre of a town with highest land value
How land is used (e.g. homes, shops)
Someone who travels to work daily
Q2.Which of these is most likely found in the CBD?
Q3.Which of the following is an example of land use?
Q4.Which best explains why cities are not completely random in layout?
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Urban structure and land use, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Urban structure and land use, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Cities: What are they like to live in? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.