Model suggesting African cities have more than one CBD, which is a remnant of colonialism

• A. Annexation
• B. Boomburbs
• C. African City Model
• D. Rank-size rule

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is how urban models explain Africa’s city form, specifically a polycentric pattern with more than one center of activity that reflects colonial legacies. In many African cities, the traditional single central business district isn’t the only hub; multiple business nodes emerge around different colonial-era cores—ports, administrative areas, railway exchanges—and these cores stay active as the city grows. This reflects the African City Model, which accounts for several CBDs and a segmented urban layout shaped by how colonial powers planned and zoned cities, with postcolonial growth reinforcing those multiple centers. That makes it the best fit for describing why African cities often have more than one CBD, as a remnant of colonialism. Other options describe different phenomena—annexation is about expanding city boundaries by adding land, boomburbs are sprawling fast-growing suburbs in some modern cities, and the rank-size rule concerns the distribution of city sizes rather than internal city structure.