What is the main feature of the Concentric Zone Model?

• A. A central business district at the center with rings representing increasing distance: transitional, working-class, middle/upper-class, commuter/suburban.
• B. Land uses arranged along transportation corridors with wedge-shaped sectors.
• C. The city has multiple centers connected by roads.
• D. There is no central area, land use is random.

Answer: (B)

The Concentric Zone Model envisions a city as circles radiating outward from a central business district, with each ring representing a different land use and social group. As you move away from the center, the pattern typically shifts from the transitional and working-class areas to middle- and upper-status neighborhoods, and finally to outer suburban or commuter zones. This rings-around-a-core idea is the defining feature: land use and social characteristics change in broad, nested circles centered on the CBD.

The option describing land uses arranged along transportation corridors with wedge-shaped sectors corresponds to the Sector Model, not the concentric rings pattern. The idea of multiple centers describes the Multiple-Nuclei Model, while the notion of no central area and random land use doesn’t fit the standard models of urban structure.