Concentric Zone and Sector Models

Active learning helps students move beyond abstract diagrams by engaging with real urban patterns. Mapping historic growth alongside modern development lets learners test models against evidence rather than memorize them as fixed rules.

• 10th Grade
• Geography
• 4 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Compare the spatial patterns of land use in a familiar city with the predictions of the concentric zone and sector models.
2. Analyze how historical transportation networks, such as streetcar lines or interstate highways, influenced the development of distinct urban zones or sectors.
3. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the concentric zone and sector models in explaining the contemporary urban structure of a specific US city.
4. Explain the relationship between socioeconomic status and residential location as depicted by urban models.

Gallery Walk

⏱ 40 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Chicago Then and Now

Hang maps of Chicago from 1920 and today at stations around the room. Students rotate in pairs, marking which zones or sectors align with the Burgess and Hoyt models on each map and noting where the models break down. Groups share their annotations in a whole-class debrief.

Prepare & details

Explain how transport systems like subways and highways shape the growth of a city.

Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, place maps of 1920s Chicago next to 2020s Chicago so students notice what the Burgess model still explains and where it falls short.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Your City, Your Model

Students sketch a basic map of their nearest major city, labeling residential, commercial, and industrial zones from memory or a printed reference map. Partners compare sketches and decide which model fits best, then present their reasoning to the class with one piece of supporting evidence.

Prepare & details

Analyze why different social classes cluster in specific parts of the city.

Facilitation Tip: When students do Think-Pair-Share, circulate and listen for pairs that connect their city’s transit lines to Hoyt’s wedges, not just recall definitions.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Concept Mapping

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Structured Analysis: Redlining and the Sector Model

Using historical HOLC maps from the Mapping Inequality project, students analyze how federal redlining reinforced sector model patterns by concentrating lower-income and minority populations in specific zones. Groups annotate the maps, then write a one-paragraph claim connecting federal housing policy to spatial inequality.

Prepare & details

Compare the applicability of the concentric zone and sector models to different cities.

Facilitation Tip: For the Redlining and Sector Model analysis, provide redlined maps from the 1930s and current demographic overlays so students see how investment patterns persist.

Setup: Tables with large paper, or wall space

Materials: Concept cards or sticky notes, Large paper, Markers, Example concept map

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Simulation Game

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: Build-a-City

Each group receives a set of land use cards (industrial plant, wealthy housing, transit line, park, CBD) and arranges them on a blank city grid. Groups compare their finished city layouts to the Burgess and Hoyt models, then explain their placement decisions and identify which model their city most closely resembles.

Prepare & details

Explain how transport systems like subways and highways shape the growth of a city.

Facilitation Tip: During Build-a-City, remind groups that zoning laws and street grids are as important as housing density when testing the models.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

Start with a caution: models from 1925 and 1939 were built for one city in one era. Bring in Timbrell’s 2022 study showing that only 12% of US metros still fit Burgess closely. Use Hoyt’s emphasis on corridors to highlight how rail and highways still guide growth today. Avoid teaching these models as timeless truths.

What to Expect

Students will recognize that both models are historical tools, not universal templates. They will explain how transportation, policy, and economics shape land use differently in each case. Growth happens when students connect theory to lived geography through data and discussion.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk, watch for students assuming the concentric zone model predicts every modern city layout exactly as Burgess drew it for 1920s Chicago.

What to Teach Instead

Stop groups at the 1920s map and the 2020s map side by side. Ask them to highlight where the rings still appear and where they break down, then list reasons like highways, gentrification, or edge cities.

Common Misconception

During Think-Pair-Share, listen for students claiming wealthy residents always live closest to the city center because it is the most desirable location.

What to Teach Instead

Hand out suburbanization timelines and case studies for Detroit and Atlanta. Have pairs mark when and why affluent residents moved outward, then share findings with the class.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Gallery Walk, show a current map of Los Angeles. Ask students to identify where they would place the Central Business District based on residual concentric rings and sector wedges, then explain which model’s evidence they used most.

Quick Check

During Build-a-City, circulate and ask each group to label three zones or sectors on their city map and orally explain the typical land use or social group linked to that area according to the model they are testing.

Exit Ticket

After the Redlining and Sector Model activity, ask students to write one paragraph comparing the two models and state one city type where one model fits better than the other with a brief justification.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to find a city where neither model fits well and propose a third hybrid model based on their evidence.
• For students who struggle, give them a blank concentric zone diagram with only the CBD labeled and ask them to sketch the next two rings before discussion.
• Deeper exploration: Provide census data from 1950 and 2020 for Chicago and Los Angeles so students quantify changes in population density across zones.

Key Vocabulary

Central Business District (CBD)	The commercial and often geographical heart of a city, characterized by high land values and a concentration of businesses and services.
Concentric Zone Model	A model of urban land use that describes a city as a series of rings expanding outward from a central business district, with each ring representing a different type of land use or social group.
Sector Model	A model of urban land use that suggests cities develop in wedge-shaped sectors radiating outward from the CBD along transportation routes, with land use patterns varying by sector.
Social Stratification	The hierarchical arrangement of social classes within a society, often influencing where different socioeconomic groups can afford to live within a city.
Transportation Corridor	A route along which transportation infrastructure, such as roads, railways, or canals, is built, often influencing urban development patterns.