Geography · 9th Grade · Urbanization and Industrialization · Weeks 28-36

North American Urban Models

Analyzing the Burgess, Hoyt, and Multiple Nuclei models of urban growth in North America.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Geo.5.9-12
• C3: D2.Geo.2.9-12

About This Topic

Three models dominate the study of North American urban structure in the US K-12 curriculum. Ernest Burgess's Concentric Zone Model (1925) proposed that cities grow outward in rings from a central business district, with each ring housing progressively wealthier residents. Homer Hoyt's Sector Model (1939) revised this by showing that transportation corridors create wedge-shaped sectors of land use radiating from the CBD. Chauncy Harris and Edward Ullman's Multiple Nuclei Model (1945) recognized that modern cities often develop several distinct centers, each attracting compatible uses.

These models were developed primarily from US cities, particularly Chicago for Burgess, so they reflect the auto-centric, industrial growth patterns of the 20th century. Students analyzing their own city through these lenses quickly discover which model fits best and why, connecting abstract theory to real geography. Applying these models also surfaces how race, class, and transportation policy have shaped American urban geography in ways that are not visible from a diagram alone.

Active learning transforms urban models from diagrams to investigative tools. When students overlay model templates onto real city maps or satellite images and compare predictions to actual land use data, they build the spatial analysis skills that carry through the rest of the course.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how transportation technologies (trams, cars, highways) shape city layout according to urban models.
2. Explain why different ethnic or economic groups cluster in specific urban zones.
3. Compare the applicability of the Concentric Zone, Sector, and Multiple Nuclei models to a specific US city.

Learning Objectives

• Compare the spatial patterns predicted by the Concentric Zone, Sector, and Multiple Nuclei models to the actual land use of a specific North American city.
• Analyze how historical transportation technologies, such as streetcars and highways, influenced the development of urban zones in North America.
• Explain the relationship between socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and residential location within urban areas as depicted by the urban models.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each urban model when applied to contemporary North American cities.

Before You Start

Basic Map Skills and Land Use Terminology

Why: Students need to be able to read maps and understand terms like residential, commercial, and industrial to apply urban models.

Introduction to Urbanization

Why: A foundational understanding of why cities form and grow is necessary before analyzing specific urban structure models.

Key Vocabulary

Concentric Zone Model	A model of urban structure proposing that cities grow outward in a series of rings from a central business district, with each zone characterized by a different land use and population type.
Sector Model	A model suggesting that cities develop in sectors or wedges radiating out from the central business district, often influenced by transportation routes and land values.
Multiple Nuclei Model	A model that posits that cities develop around several distinct centers or nuclei, rather than a single central business district, with specialized activities clustering around each.
Central Business District (CBD)	The commercial and business center of a city, typically characterized by high land values, dense development, and a concentration of retail and office space.
Residential Zone	An area within a city primarily designated for housing, often varying in density and socioeconomic status according to its location within urban models.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

The Burgess Concentric Zone Model accurately describes all American cities.

What to Teach Instead

Cities built after widespread car ownership (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston) often fit the Multiple Nuclei model or none of these frameworks well. Geographic features like water, mountains, or highways also disrupt the rings. Applying models to real cities shows students the limits of any single theory.

Common Misconception

These models are neutral descriptions of how cities naturally grow.

What to Teach Instead

All three models reflect specific economic and racial conditions of 20th-century America, including redlining and exclusionary zoning. Students examining these models as historically situated theories, not universal laws, develop a more critical geographic lens.

Active Learning Ideas

Jigsaw: Urban Model Experts

Divide students into three groups, one per model (Burgess, Hoyt, Multiple Nuclei). Each group learns their model thoroughly, then students regroup with one expert from each model. Together they apply all three to a provided US city map, arguing which fits best using evidence. Each group presents its conclusion and reasoning.

35 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: City Maps vs. Models

Post large printed maps of four or five US cities. Student groups rotate, sketching which model best fits each city and adding sticky-note evidence. Debrief focuses on what factors (age, transportation technology, topography) explain why different cities fit different models.

25 min·Small Groups

Think-Pair-Share: Why Does Wealth Move Outward?

Project a cross-section graphic of a generic concentric-zone city. Pairs discuss why wealthy residents historically moved to outer rings rather than staying near the center. Share-out leads to a class discussion connecting transportation technologies (trams, highways) to the spatial logic of each model.

15 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Urban planners in cities like Denver use historical urban models to understand current land use patterns and inform zoning decisions for future development, considering how transportation infrastructure shapes growth.
• Real estate developers analyze the historical development of neighborhoods in cities such as Philadelphia, applying principles from urban models to identify areas ripe for gentrification or commercial expansion based on accessibility and existing land use.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with a simplified map of a US city and ask them to sketch where the CBD, industrial zones, and different residential areas might be located according to the Concentric Zone Model. Then, ask them to identify one factor that might cause deviations from this model in that specific city.

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'How has the widespread adoption of the automobile and the development of suburban highways challenged the predictions of the Burgess and Hoyt models?' Facilitate a discussion where students cite specific examples of urban sprawl or decentralized commercial centers.

Exit Ticket

Ask students to write down which of the three urban models (Concentric Zone, Sector, or Multiple Nuclei) they believe best describes their own city or a major city they are familiar with. They should provide one specific piece of evidence from the city's geography to support their choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three main North American urban models in AP Human Geography?

The three main models are the Concentric Zone Model (Burgess, 1925), showing cities growing in rings from the CBD; the Sector Model (Hoyt, 1939), showing growth in wedge-shaped sectors along transportation routes; and the Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman, 1945), recognizing that cities often develop multiple centers rather than one dominant core.

Why did Ernest Burgess develop the Concentric Zone Model?

Burgess developed his model studying Chicago in the 1920s, when the city was rapidly industrializing and expanding outward. He observed that different social and economic groups sorted themselves into roughly concentric rings around the industrial core. The model reflects early 20th-century industrial cities before widespread car ownership reshaped urban structure.

Which US cities best fit the Multiple Nuclei Model?

Los Angeles is often cited as the best US example because it developed multiple commercial and employment centers rather than one dominant downtown. Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth also show multiple nuclei characteristics. Cities with dispersed suburban employment centers, edge cities, or strong ethnic enclaves are particularly well-suited to this model.

How does active learning help students understand urban models in geography class?

Applying urban models to real city maps or satellite imagery lets students test theories against actual data rather than memorize diagrams. When groups debate which model fits a specific city and justify reasoning with geographic evidence, they practice the spatial analysis skills central to geographic inquiry, which is far more memorable than a textbook exercise.