10.1 Urban growth patterns and land use
5 min read•august 16, 2024
Urban growth patterns shape cities through economic, social, and environmental factors. From central business districts to suburban , these patterns determine how cities develop and expand over time.
Land use types, like , , and , form the building blocks of urban areas. Understanding these uses and how they interact is crucial for grasping urban land economics and city planning principles.
Urban Growth Patterns
Economic and Social Factors
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- Urban growth patterns shaped by economic, social, technological, and environmental factors determine spatial structure of cities
- Employment centers and job opportunities act as magnets for population growth
- Lead to development of central business districts and suburban office parks
- Example: Silicon Valley tech hub attracting workers and spurring residential growth
- Historical development patterns and cultural preferences impact urban form
- Result in variations between cities in different regions or countries
- Example: European cities often have compact historical centers vs. sprawling North American suburbs
- Government policies significantly affect spatial structure of cities
- Urban growth boundaries contain outward expansion
- Incentives for specific types of development guide growth patterns
- Example: Portland, Oregon's urban growth boundary promoting denser development
Infrastructure and Technology
- Transportation infrastructure plays crucial role in shaping urban form
- Roads, public transit, and airports influence direction and intensity of growth
- Example: Highway systems enabling suburban expansion in post-WWII America
- Technological advancements reshape urban growth patterns
- Alter relationship between residential and employment locations
- Telecommunications and remote work capabilities reduce need for physical proximity
- Example: Rise of "Zoom towns" during COVID-19 pandemic as remote workers relocate to smaller cities
Natural and Environmental Influences
- Natural features constrain or direct urban expansion
- Coastlines, rivers, and topography influence overall shape and structure of cities
- Example: San Francisco's growth limited by bay and ocean, resulting in high-density development
- Environmental factors impact urban development patterns
- Climate considerations affect building design and urban layout
- Availability of natural resources influences industrial locations
- Example: Desert cities like Phoenix emphasizing water conservation in urban planning
Urban Land Use Types
Residential and Commercial Uses
- Residential land use encompasses various housing types
- Single-family homes to high-rise apartments, each with distinct density and spatial requirements
- Example: Suburban subdivisions vs. urban apartment complexes
- Commercial land use includes retail, office, and service-oriented spaces
- Often concentrated in central business districts or along major transportation corridors
- Example: Downtown financial districts or suburban shopping malls
- Mixed-use developments combine multiple land use types within single area or building
- Promote walkability and efficient use of urban space
- Example: Ground-floor retail with apartments above in urban neighborhoods
Industrial and Institutional Uses
- Industrial land use comprises manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution facilities
- Typically located in designated zones with good transportation access
- Example: Port-adjacent industrial parks for shipping and logistics
- Institutional land use covers government buildings, educational facilities, healthcare centers, and cultural institutions
- Often dispersed throughout urban areas
- Example: University campuses or government complexes
Open Space and Transportation Uses
- Recreational and open space land use includes parks, sports facilities, and natural areas
- Provide environmental and quality of life benefits to urban residents
- Example: Central Park in New York City or the Emerald Necklace in Boston
- Transportation land use encompasses roads, railways, airports, and ports
- Form circulatory system of urban areas and connect different land uses
- Example: Major highway interchanges or international airports
Bid Rent Theory
Core Principles and Urban Structure
- Bid rent theory explains spatial distribution of land uses within urban areas
- Based on principle that different land users compete for locations through willingness to pay rent
- Theory posits land users with highest willingness to pay for particular location will outbid others
- Results in pattern of concentric zones around city center
- Central business districts typically command highest rents
- Due to accessibility and agglomeration benefits
- Attract high-value commercial and office uses
- Example: Financial district in Manhattan with high-rise office towers
Land Use Patterns and Rent Gradients
- Residential land use tends to form rings around center
- Higher-density housing closer to core
- Lower-density housing in outer areas
- Example: Apartment buildings near downtown transitioning to single-family homes in suburbs
- Industrial land use often locates in intermediate zones
- Balances need for accessibility with lower land costs compared to central areas
- Example: Light industrial parks along highway corridors
- Slope of bid rent curve for each land use type reflects rate at which willingness to pay declines with distance from city center
- Steeper slopes indicate greater sensitivity to location (retail)
- Flatter slopes suggest less location-dependent uses (warehousing)
Modern Applications and Adaptations
- Modern applications of bid rent theory account for polycentric urban structures
- Recognize multiple centers of economic activity within metropolitan areas
- Example: Edge cities or suburban employment centers
- Influence of transportation networks on accessibility and land values incorporated into theory
- Transit-oriented development alters traditional concentric pattern
- Example: Higher land values near subway stations in transit-rich cities
Zoning Regulations and Development
Types of Zoning Approaches
- regulations control land use, density, and building characteristics within specific areas of city
- Euclidean zoning separates land uses into distinct zones
- Minimizes conflicts and promotes orderly development
- Example: Residential neighborhoods separated from industrial areas
- Performance-based zoning focuses on impacts of land uses rather than strictly separating them
- Allows for more flexibility in development patterns
- Example: Permitting light industrial uses that meet noise and pollution standards in mixed-use areas
- Form-based codes regulate physical form of buildings and public spaces
- Emphasize urban design and relationship between structures and streets
- Example: New Urbanist developments with specific architectural and streetscape guidelines
Impacts and Criticisms of Zoning
- Zoning regulations significantly influence property values, development patterns, and overall character of urban neighborhoods
- Exclusionary zoning practices contribute to spatial segregation and housing affordability issues
- Large minimum lot sizes or restrictions on multi-family housing
- Example: Suburban communities prohibiting apartment buildings, limiting housing options
- Zoning variances and special use permits provide mechanisms for flexibility
- Allow for case-by-case exceptions to regulations
- Example: Granting height variance for innovative architectural design
- Critics argue overly restrictive zoning can hinder economic development
- Exacerbate housing shortages
- Limit adaptability of urban areas to changing needs
- Example: Rigid single-family zoning preventing construction of needed multi-family housing in growing cities
Key Terms to Review (19)
Brownfields: Brownfields are previously developed lands that may be contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or other environmental issues, making them difficult to redevelop. These sites are often abandoned or underutilized, posing challenges for urban growth and land use planning as communities seek to revitalize and repurpose these areas while managing potential health risks.
Central Place Theory: Central Place Theory is a geographical theory that seeks to explain the size, number, and distribution of human settlements in an urban system. It posits that settlements serve as 'central places' providing services to surrounding areas, with larger settlements offering more specialized services. This theory helps understand market segmentation and the relationship between urban growth patterns and land use.
Commercial: In real estate, 'commercial' refers to properties that are used primarily for business purposes, such as retail stores, office buildings, warehouses, and hotels. These properties are essential in the economic landscape as they cater to businesses that generate income through the sale of goods and services, and their development significantly influences urban growth patterns and land use decisions.
Gentrification: Gentrification is a complex process of urban transformation where wealthier individuals move into previously lower-income neighborhoods, leading to rising property values and rents, and often displacing long-time residents. This phenomenon highlights the interplay between social dynamics and economic forces in urban settings, revealing the consequences for housing markets, local businesses, and community identity.
Greenbelts: Greenbelts are designated areas of open space or agricultural land surrounding urban areas, intended to limit urban sprawl and protect the environment. They serve as buffers between urban development and rural land, promoting sustainable growth and providing recreational spaces for residents. Greenbelts play a crucial role in shaping urban growth patterns by influencing land use decisions and conserving natural landscapes.
Highest and best use: Highest and best use refers to the most profitable legal use of a property, which maximizes its value while considering factors like zoning regulations, market demand, and physical characteristics. This concept is critical in determining property value, as it shapes decisions regarding feasibility analysis, valuation methods, economic impact, and land use planning.
Industrial: In real estate, 'industrial' refers to properties and facilities used for manufacturing, production, distribution, and storage of goods. These properties are crucial in supporting economic activity and often include warehouses, factories, and distribution centers. Understanding industrial properties helps in analyzing market segmentation and urban land use, as they play a significant role in shaping urban growth patterns and local economies.
Infill Development: Infill development refers to the process of developing vacant or underutilized land within existing urban areas, often by building new structures or revitalizing older ones. This practice aims to make better use of available space, improve urban density, and support sustainable growth by reducing the need for expansion into undeveloped areas. Infill development can enhance community character, increase local amenities, and promote efficient use of infrastructure.
Land Rent Theory: Land rent theory explains how the value of land is determined by its location and the economic activities that take place upon it. This theory helps to understand urban growth patterns, as it shows how different land uses compete for space, influencing land prices and ultimately shaping the development of cities.
Land use planning: Land use planning is the process of evaluating and managing land resources to balance social, economic, and environmental needs. It involves determining how land should be developed, preserved, and used to promote sustainable growth while considering the impacts on surrounding areas. Effective land use planning contributes to organized urban growth patterns and helps protect property rights by ensuring that land is used in a manner that aligns with community goals and zoning regulations.
New urbanism: New urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use development, and sustainable communities. It aims to create vibrant, human-scaled places that prioritize the needs of pedestrians and encourage social interaction while reducing reliance on automobiles. This approach contrasts with traditional suburban sprawl, focusing instead on creating compact, interconnected spaces that foster a sense of community.
Population Density: Population density is a measurement of the number of people living per unit of area, typically expressed as individuals per square mile or square kilometer. It provides insight into how crowded an area is and can influence urban planning, resource allocation, and infrastructure development. Higher population density often correlates with urban environments, while lower densities are more common in rural areas.
Residential: Residential refers to properties that are primarily used for housing, such as single-family homes, apartments, and condominiums. These properties are designed for people to live in and play a critical role in shaping communities and neighborhoods, as they influence population density, housing demand, and urban development patterns.
Smart growth: Smart growth is an urban planning approach that promotes sustainable development, efficient land use, and community well-being by focusing on creating compact, transit-oriented, walkable neighborhoods. This strategy emphasizes the importance of balancing economic, environmental, and social factors in urban development to enhance quality of life while minimizing sprawl and resource consumption.
Sprawl: Sprawl refers to the uncontrolled and unplanned expansion of urban areas into the surrounding rural land, often characterized by low-density development and reliance on automobiles for transportation. This phenomenon typically occurs as cities grow outward, leading to increased land consumption and can have significant implications for land use patterns and transportation infrastructure.
Suburbanization: Suburbanization refers to the process where populations move from urban areas to the outskirts or suburbs of cities, leading to the growth and expansion of these suburban areas. This phenomenon often results in changes in land use patterns, as residential developments, commercial centers, and transportation infrastructure are established to accommodate the increasing suburban population. Suburbanization can be influenced by factors such as affordability, lifestyle preferences, and urban congestion.
Urban ecology: Urban ecology is the study of the relationships and interactions between living organisms and their urban environment. This field examines how social, economic, and environmental factors influence the development of cities and their surrounding areas, focusing on patterns of land use, biodiversity, and human behavior in urban settings.
Urban Footprint: Urban footprint refers to the spatial extent of urban areas, encompassing the land used for residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure development. It illustrates how cities spread over time and the impact of urbanization on land use patterns, showing the relationship between human activities and environmental changes. Understanding urban footprints helps in analyzing growth trends, resource consumption, and the sustainability of urban environments.
Zoning: Zoning is a regulatory tool used by local governments to control land use and development by designating specific areas for particular types of activities, such as residential, commercial, or industrial. It helps to ensure that land is used in a way that promotes community welfare, public safety, and environmental sustainability while guiding urban growth and development patterns.