The Dictionary of Human Geography

Z

zonal model A model of intra-urban spatial
organization created by E.W. Burgess (1886–
1966: see Burgess, 1924), a leading member
of the 1920schicago schoolof sociologists.
To assist in understanding why certain types of
social problem were concentrated in particular
areas, he split an idealized city (based on
Chicago) into five zones (see figure), whose
dominant feature is the increase in an area’s
socio-economic status with distance from
the CBD (‘The Loop’ in Chicago). Growth

was propelled outwards from that point by

invasion and successionprocesses involving

new immigrants to the city, who established

homes in the ‘zone in transition’ and pressed

longer-established groups to move towards

thesuburbsand beyond. Burgess’ model was

complemented by Hoyt’s sectoral model

and combined with it to form amultiple

nuclei modelin work on urban residential

patterns. (cf.factorial ecology;social area

analysis). rj

zonalmodel Burgess’s zonal model(Park et al., 1925)

Gregory / The Dictionary of Human Geography 9781405132879_4_Z Final Proof page 815 30.3.2009 7:48pm