City in layers-part 3-An urban design concept

Urban structure theories

Geographers examined various forms or blueprints of urban structure & growth; there studies focused on two countries in the world, UK cities and one of the biggest cites in USA the city of Chicago. Cuthbert inquiry of the urban theory revealed that Chicago school of sociology was the most significant in developing different types of typologies of urban structure in the twentieth century propagated in the concentric theory, the sector theory and the multiple–nuclei theory of Harris and Ulman.Figure1 illustrates the how the urban structure theories create different urban forms or blueprint.

Burgess concentric Zones theory is rings of functional areas starting from the center the high density of business district, ring of light industry and low-quality resident, ring of independent Non-family workers, ring of better homes for families, ring of commuters.

Hoyt sector theory is developed from the first theory the sectors are centered around the CBD in the middle, composed of six sectors starting from high rent residential, intermediate residential, low rent residential, educational and recreation, transportation, and industries.

Harris and Ulman nuclei theory is nuclei areas around a centric zone ; the CBD is the core zone surrounded by wholesale and light manufacture , low-class residential areas , middle-class residential areas  and the other area connected to the center through other zones such as high-class residential , heavy manufacture , residential suburban and industrial suburban .

Major failure of urban structure theories

These theories were an outcome of socioeconomic studies of industrial cities in the world specifically Chicago city and major UK cities like Sunderland. Their research spotted the immigrants to USA living in industrial cities in bad living conditions and targeted specific behavior, including alcoholism, homicide, suicides, psychoses, and poverty, and then computing rates based on census data.

These theories presented a blueprint of land use in cities that were criticized later of segregation and social isolation, leading to derelict areas, abundant places, and city deprivation. The theories introduced several important factors in urban planning and urban design for consideration: design and living conditions, efficiency of infrastructure, tackling environmental issues, transit network availability and affordability.

But, laying out a blueprint of an area or a city without considering urban design principals and best practices is a major catch on these theories. Transport planners are in isolation when these theories where introduced as many factors in urban transit affect urban design and vise-versa. Part1,2 connects the discussion and gives a wholistic view of the city in layers concept for more details click here.

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