In the “Concentric Zone Model” of Burgess, the fifth ring is occupied by:
Show Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (A)
Explanation:
Ernest Burgess proposed the Concentric Zone Model in 1925 based on the city of Chicago. The model divides the city into five concentric rings. The outermost ring (Ring V) is the Commuters’ Zone, which consists of suburbs and satellite cities inhabited largely by wealthy individuals who travel into the CBD for work.
📚 Additional Info: Urban Land Use Models
Urban geography questions frequently test the classic models of city structure. Here is a breakdown of the Burgess Model’s five zones:
| Ring / Zone | Name | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Zone I (Center) | Central Business District (CBD) | The economic and commercial heart of the city. High land values, skyscrapers, retail, and offices. |
| Zone II | Zone of Transition | Mixed land use: light industry, wholesale businesses, and older, deteriorating housing often occupied by recent immigrants or lower-income groups. |
| Zone III | Zone of Independent Workers’ Homes | Working-class residential area. Modest, older homes inhabited by blue-collar workers who want to live near factories but away from the slums. |
| Zone IV | Zone of Better Residences | Middle-class residential area. Newer and more spacious single-family homes and high-class apartments. |
| Zone V (Outermost) | Commuters’ Zone | Suburbs and satellite towns. High-income residents who can afford the transportation costs to commute to the CBD. |
Other Important Urban Models to Remember:
- Sector Model (1939): Proposed by Homer Hoyt. Argues that cities develop in wedge-shaped sectors radiating from the CBD along transportation routes, rather than rings.
- Multiple Nuclei Model (1945): Proposed by C.D. Harris and E.L. Ullman. Argues that large cities do not grow around a single CBD, but rather around multiple separate nodes or “nuclei” (e.g., a university node, an airport node, a manufacturing node).