Which zones are included in the Concentric Zone Model?

• A. Commuter, residential, working class, transition, factory, Loop or Central Business District
• B. Inner-city, middle-class, suburban, rural
• C. Core, periphery, hinterland
• D. Industrial, residential, commercial, agricultural

Answer: (A)

In the Concentric Zone Model, a city grows outward in rings around a central business district, and each ring has distinct land use and population patterns. The innermost area is the Loop or Central Business District, the core of commerce. Surrounding it lies the Zone in Transition, where factories and deteriorating housing blend with new populations. Outside that is the Zone of Working-Class Housing, with older, denser homes. Next comes the Residential Zone, typically middle-class housing, and the outermost ring is the Commuter Zone, consisting of suburbs where residents commute to the center. The option presented lists these zones as Commuter, residential, working class, transition, factory, Loop or Central Business District, which is the same set of rings described by Burgess, just noted from outermost to innermost. Other choices describe different urban models or land-use ideas that don’t reflect the concentric ring structure.